Seasons
by Tsuki no Rin
Summary: EdxWin Set after the movie: Ed is back for good and Winry is ecstatic. Events unfold throughout the four seasons while Ed and Winry battle through their own thoughts. Who knows what will happen next year? .. Yes I will make a sequel eventually : ..
1. Winter: Worse Than Usual

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Summary: EdxWin-Set after the movie-Ed is back for good and Winry is ecstatic. Events unfold throughout the four seasons while Ed and Winry battle through their own thoughts. Who knows what will happen next year?

Seasons

Winter: Worse Than Usual

Chapter 1

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell had been best friends ever since they were infants. Rarely separated, these best friends spent day in and day out with each other; usually without a hitch.

Ed reminisced on those times while a small smile tugging on his lips and his golden bangs playing happily in the wind. Leaning lightly on the steps of Winry's porch; his whole atmosphere seemed at peace and a feeling of happiness radiated off of him.

'_I remember one time when Al and I fought over who would marry Winry. Haha, Al won but he was rejected. Oh wait, I was too. I don't remember why though…'_ Edward pondered on the thought for a while. As he was thinking, a bird landed on the steps next to him to have a piece of the peacefulness that seemed to be enveloping the area. The comforting silence was broken with a shout of frustration and the panicked rustling of feathers as the bird took flight hastily.

"AARGH WHO DID SHE THINK SHE WAS CALLING A HALF-PINT MIDGET THAT CANNOT BE SEEN EVEN BY THE LIKES OF A SHORT LITTLE GIRL! THAT STUPID LITTLE-" Ed's speech was cut short as the ground suddenly jumped up to meet his face.

"SHUT UP ED, I CAN'T GET ANY WORK DONE!"

Mumbling incoherently to the dirt, Ed slowly pulled himself up and brought a hand to his aching head.

"Owwww…Couldn't she at least kiss it better afterwards or something…" Before Ed even had time to blush at the very strange and sudden thought, Winry bent down in front of him, her face just inches from his.

"I didn't know you wanted me to, Ed." Winry stated playfully, before realizing Ed seemed to have spaced out. "Ed?"

'_Oh God, I think she hit me too hard, I'm going to faint, I'm going to faint. I think I'm sick. I feel hot, my face feels hot. Is it a fever? I can't get a fever now; I have to go back to Central for a goodbye party soon. Oh God, I am going to faint. I have to tell Wi…'_

Winry blinked in surprise as the eldest Elric collapsed against her chest. Silence greeted them as Winry froze in shock.

A rush of wings and a multi-colored group of feathers sprang from a nearby tree as an enraged scream rung through the Risembool countryside.

"Ed! Get off of me! You're so heavy!" Her voice squeaked as she felt the weight of Ed's metal arm drop onto the edge of the collar of her shirt, pulling it down slightly. "You…you…PERVERT!" To accompany her last word, Winry threw Ed off of her and into the dirt. Before bringing her wrench down in order to make contact, she paused as she noticed a trickle of blood making its way down the golden-haired boy's temple and she felt the color drain out of her face as she paled visibly.

"..Ed? Are you okay? Ed? Ed, I know your awake I can see your blush fading."

The only response given to Winry for an answer was a deafening silence and panic began to make its way into her system.

"Oh my god, Ed! Ed, get up! Get up Ed! Get up!" She jumped off the steps, her tears threatening to overflow, "Ed! Ed, please! Alphonse and Granny aren't here right now. Don't do this to me. Ed!" Tears pricked the back of her eyes like hot needles as she tried to force them out of her vision. '_Come on Winry, be strong, you can do this…Oh God! The blood is flowing faster now!' _ "Ed! Don't do this to me please!" Her face felt hot and she feared she was going to faint as well. She was about to try dragging him up the stairs when a gentle hand on her cheek stopped her.

"Don't cry Winry, you know I hate when you do that…" Ed looked up at her weakly and brushed away a renegade tear that fell from her eye.

"Ed…" A warmth filled Winry's voice and a gentle smile graced her lips. The smile fell from Winry's lips as she gave Ed a suspicion-filled glare, Ed never acted like this. '_Maybe he hit his head too hard…'_ Winry decided to test it. "Ed, what do you think of me?"

"Ohh, Winry I think you're purrrrrrrdy!" Ed's eyes looked unfocused and a large, tooth grin was plastered to his face.

Disappointment was evident on Winry's face and she sighed lightly before asking in a disheartened voice, "Do you think you can stand?" A long bout of giggling was her answer and Winry decided she might as well test her luck.

Winry found that even with Ed's weight rested heavily on her shoulders, her shaky legs remained stable enough for her to make it up the first step.

"Hey, Winry…"

Looking up in surprise, Winry answered him. "Yeah, Ed?"

"I can see down your shirt." Another fit of giggling accompanied Winry's cherry-red face.

"Maybe we should wait for Granny and Al to come back." Winry hissed the statement through her tightly clenched teeth and dropped Ed abruptly, completely forgetting the reason why she was trying to get him inside.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Hey, Auntie Pinako, Do you think that Ed and Winry will ever get…" Al sorted through his thoughts looking for a slightly less meaningful word than 'marriage'. "Do you think they'll ever get 'together'?" That sounded just about right to him.

"Al, don't be a pervert like your brother."

Al froze in shock and watched Pinako walk ahead of him before brushing profusely and rushing his startled words through his mouth. "Auntie! I didn't mean _that_ way!"

Pinako stopped and looked into the distance for a moment before carefully taking a puff of her pipe and replying, "Eventually, yes." Al smiled in contentment for a moment as Pinako continued. "Once they get it through their thick skulls."

Trust Pinako to add her own little touch to every statement, even the serious and critical ones. Al was faintly surprised by the fact that he actually sweatdropped, maybe it wasn't just one of those anime/manga character things. A/N: snickering in front of computer

"Well, couldn't we help a little? Maybe just nudge them in the right direction?"

"Alphonse. You should know better than that." Al looked down at his shoes in shame, happiness briefly filling him as he realized that now he actually could wear shoes. "They need a nice strong shove."

Al looked at the elderly woman gleefully before joining her to continue their trek up the dirt path as various schemes ran through Al's head. '_Let's see…taking a moonlit walk? No, that's not good enough. A trip into town? No way, Winry would spend everything. But, maybe if we got Ed to buy something for Winry while they were in town!... Nope, Brother would never do something nice like that.'_ Al sighed in defeat and turned to ask Pinako for any ideas.

"What do you think--" Before Al could ask for a suggestion, a loud howl of pain reached their ears. "Auntie!"

"Hurry Al, it's coming from the direction of the house." Al was once again amazed at the almost everlasting calm and maturity of his favorite, well only, auntie. Knowing Ed, he would have been running around frantically before realizing he should be heading in the direction of the sound to figure out what was wrong. Bringing himself out of his musings, Al began to run towards the house as best as he could with the bag of groceries he held in his hands.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed groaned in agony as the painful pulse in his head beat in time with the persistent throbbing in his right leg. He could vaguely hear a creaking coming from in front of him before a painful sound echoed through his head and reignited all the flaming pain that he had managed to beat down with his willpower. Looking up slowly and groggily, Ed was able to focus on a figure that was silhouetted by the light of the hallway.

'_A silhouette? How dark is it in here? Someone should turn on the lights.'_

"Ed?" Winry's worried voice floated to his ears, but the volume she used only caused a slight hum of pain to quickly flow through his head.

"Yeah, I'm up. Turn on the lights, I can't see."

"Are you sure?" She was still using a hushed tone.

"Just turn on the lights!" Ed grimaced at the sudden glare and the pain that accompanied it. His subconscious scream of agony only made it worse. "Shit! Turn it off! Turn it off!" Darkness blessed his vision once again and Ed relaxed the hand he hadn't even notice was tightly curled closed. "Thanks" he whispered, his eyes still tightly closed against any possible remnants of light.

Soft shuffling made its way towards him and he winced slightly as the bed he was lying on dipped because of the extra weight on the opposite side of the bed.

"I'm sorry Ed" Winry's voice was strained, as though she was crying. Gentle thuds followed by a quick sniffle confirmed his suspicions.

"Winry." he sighed her name in frustration. "Why are you crying?"

With a sniffle, Winry began a short explanation. "I hit you with the wrench," at Ed's lack of a comment, she decided to continue, "I hit you too hard. You fainted, but I didn't know and you landed…well you landed…well you landed and I pushed you and--"

"Winry." Winry whimpered softly in what sounded like self-pity at the silent command within Ed's voice.

"You fell on me."

"Where?" Agitation seeped into the tone of Ed's voice and the question sounded more like some kind of a command.

"On me." Determination and embarrassment twisted their way tightly into Winry's words.

Ed opened his eyes to look at Winry and had to stifle a gasp as his eyes widened. '_Beautiful'_ was the only word that Ed could seem to process through his mind at the moment. Winry sat on the edge of the bed opposite him with glittering tear tracks on her cheeks and unshed tears glistened in her eyes. Her hair and skin seemed paler in the moonlight that now streamed through the window in front of them, and Ed suddenly had the urge to reach out and stroke a lock of her hair or the skin on her cheek. His eyelids lowered and somewhere at the back of his mind, Ed watched as his flesh arm reached out towards her and the hand attached to it brushed the tears from her cheeks. '_Why am I doing this?'_ was his last thought before his suddenly heavy eyelids closed and he fell into a warm blanket of darkness.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry sat in shock as she watched Ed's glowing gold eyes disappear behind his eyelids and his hand fell onto her lap. Worry etched itself into her features before she remembered that her grandmother had told her that the medication the doctor gave Ed would leave him drifting in and out of consciousness before he was able to stay awake for a regular period of time again.

Suddenly feeling quite tired as well; Winry got up and headed towards her room before a soft sigh stopped her. A whispered sound came from behind her and she strained her ears to hear. Looking over her shoulder at the teenager that was blissfully unaware of the world and lying in the bed in front of her, Winry decided she was imagining things and closed the door behind her.

Unknown to the young blonde who just left the room, the current occupier of the room restated his unconscious statement with a gentle whisper, '_So beautiful…just like Mom.'_

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: This is just the first chapter and I plan on making more. Hopefully if I have one or two good reviews I will have enough courage to post the next chapter soon.**


	2. Winter: Memories

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Winter: Memories

Chapter 2

By: RomanceFanFicLover

_A beautiful woman looked down at her two children. Both were boys and both looked up at their mother lovingly. The eldest song revealed an alchemically made paper crane to his mother and she plucked it out of his hands with great care, a look of admiration and bliss passed over her face before she tucked it away into her apron for safe keeping._

"_Thank you Ed, I love it. You're so talented. Just look at this lovely crane! Isn't that proof enough?" Her voice was sweet and melodic. Something about it made the whole image seem to ache with a twisting pain._

_The woman's face itself seemed to twist and contort until an inhuman shape took form and glowing eyes appeared in a steaming, sickening darkness._

"_You're so talented Ed" The same melodic voice came from the creature, but it was no longer sweet with its taunting tone, "Just look at what you've done to me, isn't that proof enough?"_

With a sharp inhale of breath Ed awoke from his dream with his bangs plastered to his forehead and cheeks with the amount of sweat hanging off them.

'_Just the regular dream, Ed, it was just a dream.'_ Mentally counting to ten, Ed relaxed slightly and tried to shift from his current position in order to feel less drenched. A blazing inferno of pain seemed to erupt in his right leg as he shifted it to the side. Without realizing it, Ed had screamed out loud in the shock of the pain. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Ed lifted himself up on his arms and began his attempt to squirm his way to the other side of the bed.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry awoke with a chilling feeling that something seemed wrong. She slowly pushed her sheets off of herself and swung her legs onto the floor before hesitantly bringing her feet to the cold floor. Shaking off the quick shiver down her spine, Winry got up and made her way towards Ed's room to check on him. As she made her way down the hallway, a pained scream came from Ed's door at the end of the hallway.

Cursing under her breath, Winry shuffled quietly to Ed's door and pressed her ear against the door. Thankful that she didn't hear crying, screaming or whimpering, but still suspicious of the shuffling she heard through the door, Winry creaked open the door to the sight of Ed crab-walking his way slowly across his bed with only his arms.

"Ed?" Winry couldn't help but let a little of her amusement slip into her voice.

Glancing up in surprise, Ed was distracted from his mission enough to have his arms buckle under his weight and fall before he could save himself. Another pained yelp emanated from the curtain of blonde over Ed's face and Winry raced to his side.

"Ed, I'm so sorry." Winry's eyebrows knitted together in worry as Ed hastily pulled the covers over his face, but they soon relaxed as she heard Ed's frustrated and embarrassed growls drifting through the thin fabric. Giggling lightly Winry peeled the covers from Ed's sweating face and noticed the slight discoloration of his skin.

"Ed?" Worry hit Winry in the stomach full force again, and only worsened ten-fold as a strained voice barely whispered past Ed's lips.

"Winry…I think I'm going to be sick." Ed curled towards the edge of the bed, but Winry reacted quicker and brought a bowl that was hidden under the bed under his awaiting mouth.

After expelling the contents of his stomach for the third time Ed was able to lay back on the bed.

"I'm so sorry Ed."

"For what? You didn't do this." Ed chuckled softly but stopped upon seeing the sick look on Winry's face. "Oh God, are you going to be sick as well?"

"No…" Guilt dripped of the word as if it had been soaked in it for hours before it came from her mouth.

"Winry? Is something wrong? What happened?"

After a few moments of being deep in thought, Winry came to the conclusion that she had better tell Ed the explanation of what happened now, or it would just be worse later on. Ed beat her to it though, and spoke first.

"Uh…Winry?" Ed began nervously. The encouraging look on Winry's face must have been enough to help him since he continued immediately after. "D-Do you realize that your in your uh…PJs?" Gulping down the suddenly large lump in his throat, Ed couldn't find himself able to tear his eyes away from the bare legs that he saw coming out from under the large tee-shirt she was wearing.

With a small 'eep' Winry knelt on the ground and moved her legs out of Ed's vision. "Sorry about that. Um…Ed? I kind of have to tell you something important."

"Winry, could you tell me in the morning? I'm pretty tired and I think I pulled something in my sleep on my leg, so I'm going to try to sleep it off. Is that alright?"

The guilty look returned to Winry's face as she nodded and muttered a quick "Goodnight, Ed." before hurrying out the door. Leaning against the wall beside the door, Winry let out a small frustrated growl. She didn't even have the nerve to tell him that she injured him! With a sigh Winry headed back towards her room in the hopes of being blessed with dreams that would take her mind off the consuming guilt she was experiencing.

Safely tucked in under her covers Winry began to drift to sleep as a thought drifted across her mind. '_He's going to kill me…'_

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

The delicious aroma of rice and eggs drifted into Ed's nose and his mind slowly drifted up throw the haze of sleep as he got a grip of his other 4 senses. The first sense that awakened was smell, and once again the delightful smell of his breakfast drifted up to his nose. Smell was followed by taste and the bland taste of his mouth only made it water more in the though of breakfast. Hearing came next and Ed was delighted to hear his breakfast being brought to him. Touch rose up quickly and oh, how Ed wished it didn't. The pain in all his limbs was back, but his head and his leg throbbed much more evidently and painfully. Sight decided to make an appearance and Ed opened his eyes just as his bedroom door was opened.

"Good morning Ed!" Winry's overly-happy voice rang out through the whole room, making Ed wince in pain. "Oh, sorry I forgot."

"Why does my head feel like it's splitting open, anyways?" Ed mumbled angrily as his eyes followed the bowl of steaming rice but quickly detoured to Winry's face as she ignored the question and fixed her faltering smile. "Winry…" The empty threat hung in the air as Winry slowly turned towards him.

Winry paused in the process of placing the tray of food on Ed's bedside table. "Ed…Y-You have a concussion."

Ed blinked a few times. A concussion? He was hit on the head thousands of times before. Hell, he'd even been thrown onto his head by some of the homunculi, but he never got a concussion before. Ed lifted his automail arm to his head but found it difficult to find his head. No, that wasn't right. He was having difficulty finding his arm. "Winry! Where's my automail! Someone stole it last night! I had it last night. I swear don't hit me, I'll get it back." Ed hurried to get up before realizing his right leg was still injured and his left leg wasn't even there. "Winry!" Ed's panicked eyes looked up into Winry's laughing eyes. "Winry…" the empty threat in her name lingered in the air again.

Clearing her throat quickly and directing her attention to the pillows that suddenly needed fluffing, Winry ignored Ed's pressing glare.

Ed wasn't stupid, he was far from it, and not only that; he could read people exceptionally well. Winry was hiding something from him; he didn't even have to be smart to know that, he'd known her since…forever! Edward grabbed Winry's wrist to stop her from having an excuse to not answer and looked her dead in the eyes. He didn't have to speak, the question was there. She gulped visibly but looked away. Ed tightened his grip and Winry yelped in pain. A memory flooded his senses and Ed found himself thirteen years in the past.

Winry watched as panic filled Ed's eyes and he fell unconscious again. '_He's probably hungry, I have to wake him up.'_ Winry grabbed hold of Ed's shoulders and began shaking him lightly, but he didn't react.

Winry sighed lightly. "Have a good nap, Ed." She picked up the tray and closed the door with a soft click.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

_Winry swung on the old wooden swing that he, Al and Winry always played at._

"_Ed! Al!" She giggled happily, "Look how high I'm going!"_

_Ed looked up at Winry as she pushed herself to go higher, reaching her arm out to touch a flower that was just out of her reach. The happiness reflected from Winry's eyes to Ed's as that giggled and tried to reach the flower again. Determined to reach it, Winry leaning off of the swing slightly and reached out again. Ed watched in horror as Winry seemed to fall in slow motion and landed with a thud and a scream._

"_Win!" Ed rushed over to her side. "Are you okay?"_

"_Ed…my arm…it…it hurts…get help." Winry struggled through the statement as she fought against the pain._

_Stumbling to his feet, Ed ran into Winry's yard. "Auntie! Mom! Hurry! Winry's hurt! Al! Someone!" Feeling helpless at the lack of response Ed ran to the back of Winry's house._

_Pinako was working loudly with some automail and Ed rushed up to her. Pulling on her sleeve frantically he rushed a quick explanation and they hurried to get Winry together._

Ed stirred slightly, but only long enough to furrow his brow in concentration as he focused on the memory.

_A young boy, about 6 or 7 years old, swung higher and higher on a wooden swing as he reached out towards a branch of the tree. He golden eyes blazed with concentration and confidence and his golden bangs flopped in the self-made wind. His small hand reached out and managed to touch the petal of a deep red flower in the tree._

_The young boy grinned in self-confidence as he rose higher into the air and reached again, he touched more of the petal._

'_It's so soft, no wonder Winry wanted it.' The young boy reached again and grabbed hold of the flower's stem and yanked with the added force of gravity pulling the swing backwards._

_A woman stood off to the side of the tree and her eyes glittered happily as the triumphant yell exploded from her son._

_The boy jumped of the swing and landed on his feet. Before he could even notice the woman behind the tree, he ran towards a house that was situated atop a hill, just a little bit off in the distance._

_He quickened his pace and fought against the slight burning in his lungs as he fought for enough air to keep him moving._

_A loud knock on the door was the homeowner's only warning as the young boy barged through the door, kicked off his muddy shoes and raced up the stairs._

"_Ed! Have manners!" The woman chuckled lightly and took a puff of her pipe before hearing a "Sorry Auntie Pinako!" coming from upstairs._

_Ed cradled the flower in his hands as he burst through the door on his right and raced to the side of the young girl in the bed._

"_Ed? What are you doing here so late?" The little girl looked at him with wonder._

_Ed proudly thrust his outstretched arms under her nose and carefully opened the cage of his hands to reveal a beautiful red flower. The little girl looked up at Ed with admiration and squealed in delight before timidly asking, "Is it for me?"_

"_Yup." Ed couldn't keep the goofy smile off of his face as he watched her eyes sparkle in the dim light of her lamp._

_Suddenly the light seemed dimmer and the little girl's face became slightly deformed. Ed panicked and the smell of rotting flesh reached his nose. "Well I don't want it. You caused this. You caused _me._'_

_Ed took a step back in fear and the smell became even worse. His stomach churned as the form of the girl bubbled and shifted towards him. The bile rose into his mouth before he could stop it, and he retched onto the floor._

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed groaned unhappily as his stomach ached and protested at its lack of contents. He felt hot, very hot. It was supposed to be winter, why was it so hot? A cool cloth was placed on his head and Ed sighed in contentment.

"Winry…" he whispered the name absent-mindedly and fell back into unconsciousness.

Pinako looked down at Ed, her face blank. A mischievous smile tugged on the edges or her lips as she put down the cold cloth and left the room.

Making her way down the stairs, Pinako let her still-sharp hearing lead her to her grand-daughter.

"Winry!" She shouted through the door, trying to be heard over the sound of hammering. The insistent thudding stopped and Pinako heard a stool being pushed backwards. Moments later, Winry stood at the open door with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Yes Granny?"

"Ed wants you." Pinako tried to smother the laughter she felt bubbling in her throat at the sight of Winry's obvious surprise.

"But isn't he sleeping Granny? And I have work to do." Confusion laced through ever syllable she spoke but concern still edged it's way into her tone.

"Apparently, he still wants you. Also, you have new work now."

"New work?" Winry repeated the statement dumbly.

"Yes, you are now Ed's caretaker. I'll get Al to help me with the automail shop until Ed is better." Pinako hurried away before more questions were asked, and began to search for her accomplice in matchmaking.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: So far so good, two chapters in two days. If the story seems fuzzy and doesn't make any sense, tell me so I can clear it up. Criticism and comments are welcomed!**

**Xoxoxoxox!**


	3. Winter: CareFull

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Winter: Care-full

Chapter 3

By: RomanceFanFicLover

"…but Granny!" Winry's whining permeated through Ed's door and he lazily listened to the conversation.

"No buts Winry! Hurry up, shoo!" Pinako's slightly amused order held no ill-will but was still used with force.

"Granny! I want to work on automail, not take care of Ed." Ed's eyes narrowed and he trained his ears on the door so that he wouldn't miss a word. "He can take care of himself, and I doubt he even wants my company. Also, he needs to rest! With me there, we'll only argue and I don't know if I'll hit him with my wrench again. Old habits die hard…" Winry finished with a nervous laugh.

"Go."

Ed heard Winry sigh in surrender as the soft padding of her socked feet got closer to his door. Ed couldn't take his eyes from the door. Why would she not want to care for him? And he wasn't _that_ argumentative. He continued his moping without noticing the new addition to the room making its way to his side.

"What's wrong, Ed?" When Winry didn't receive a reply she poked his flesh shoulder. "Ed?" Still no response, his eyes remained on the open doorway moodily. "Oh Shrimp Boy!"

Ed blinked and turned to Winry with an annoyed glare. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY ORGANISM OF THE SEA THAT IS BULLIED BY BIGGER FISH?"

Winry giggled merrily and ruffled Ed's hair. "Just checking if you're okay. How's your head?"

"I don't know." Ed grumbled angrily. "Winry?"

"Hmm?" She looked up from her current task of gathering the bowl of cold water and the cloths that her grandmother had left behind.

"Why don't you want to care for me?" When Winry looked at him a little surprised, he rushed to explain what he meant, "Not that I want you to or anything, but, I wasn't eavesdropping it's just that- Well I, I kind of heard your conversation and…." Ed took a large gulp of air and was about to continue when his stomach decided it needed to be noticed. Re-thinking his statement for a moment, Ed finally continued. "Could you at least take care of my automail and get me something to eat?"

Winry grinned and hurried out of the room after nodding an affirmative.

Ed sat there waiting for his food as he calmed himself. His heart and mind swam with emotions. He felt angry, and disappointed, but happy and comforted all at the same time. The worst part was, he had no idea _why_.

"Here. Granny heated it up for you."

Ed looked down at the food in surprise, he hadn't even noticed Winry come in. "T-Thanks."

Winry sat down on a chair across the room and picked up an automail catalogue that lay on the table beside it. She flipped through the pages absently and looked up every now and then to see Ed struggling to eat with his left hand.

"Need help?"

Ed flushed noticeably and was about to yell at her for thinking he couldn't even eat properly until he realized that he hadn't even had a single spoonful successfully reach his mouth in the 2 minutes he had been trying. By now he should be half-way finished!

"Uh…Yeah..." As though it was an afterthought Ed added on a strangled "…please." before setting the shaking fork back onto the tray that rested on his lap.

As Winry fed him the first bite, Ed felt his face burning with a blush and his throat clenched nervously. '_This is ridiculous, it's just Winry, and I need to eat.'_

"Um Winr-" Just as Ed moved his head to speak, Winry brought more rice towards his mouth but his nose intervened between the two and the soy sauce covered rice ended up on his nose and shirt. Muttering random curses under his breath, Ed reached for the cloth that lay between him and Winry.

Winry struggled not to laugh and reached for the cloth that lay between her and Ed.

Their hands landed on top of each other, Winry's on the bottom.

"Soft…" Ed mumbled the word under his breath.

"Warm..." Winry whispered the word over her shoulder as she coughed lightly in order to cover the sound and pulled the cloth up from the bed and let Ed's hand slip off of hers.

"Sorry, I'll clean it for you, take off your shirt." For some reason, Winry's soft demand seemed different to Ed. His face heated up and he felt like his cheeks were steaming,

"N-no it's okay. I'll clean it. Can you uh…" He coughed lightly to clear his suddenly strained throat, "can you um, get me another shirt?" Winry nodded her response and headed out the door as Ed wiped off some of the outstanding pieces of rice before peeling off his soy-soaked shirt.

Ed tossed it to the ground and proceeded to wipe the sauce off his nose and chest.

Winry walked in and had to smother her gasp with a fake sneeze. Somewhere in the back of her mind she always remembered Ed as the slightly chubby boy. It was always a shock to see the lean muscles that he hid under his shirt.

She cleared her throat lightly to get his attention. He looked up at her expectantly. "Your shirts are in the wash and I couldn't find one that was already cleaned." For some reason, part of her was glad that she couldn't find a shirt.

"Oh well, that's alright. But I think I can manage my food on my own now." Ed attempted to pick up the fork again but it clattered back onto the tray. Thankfully, before he had to embarrass himself by asking for help, Winry had made her way over to his side to feed him again.

"I feel like a baby…" Ed muttered in-between mouthfuls.

Winry grinned and patted Ed on the head, "Babies are cuter."

"Oh, so I'm not cute then?" Ed asked the question before it had even fully registered in his mind. He hadn't meant to say it, but he had to admit that he was at least a little curious about her possible answer.

"Well you're short."

"WHAT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING…?" As Ed headed into another one of his hysterics, Winry mentally patted herself on the back for avoiding the question successfully.

Ed stopped his ranting and glanced at Winry, she had a smug smile on her face. Dammit, she avoided the question. Ed didn't want to seem persistent but dammit all to hell he needed to know!

"So then I'm…" Ed took a deep shaky breath, trying to calm his self-directed anger, "…short. But not cute?" He grinned evilly; if he could admit that he was…short…then she could at least tell him this.

"Maybe in a midget's opinion." **A/N: No offence to any dwarves, midgets, short people or anything!** Winry tried not to look at Ed as she started to get up, signaling the end of the conversation.

Ed grabbed her wrist quickly and looked her in the eye before bravely saying, "But what about in a mechanic's opinion?"

Winry tried to dodge the question again, "I'm not sure, Ed. Maybe to the big muscular mechanics you'd be a cute boy toy." She saw Ed visibly pale and she hoped his streak of bravery would end soon.

"Then, what about a…" Ed took a shallow breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Why was he continuing? This was torture! She obviously didn't want to answer. Maybe she thought he was incredibly ugly. Ed's grip on her wrist tightened slightly before he let go.

Winry raced towards the door but was stopped by Ed's voice. "What did you say?" She turned slightly so she could see his face. Ed looked really nervous, like what he said could end his life.

"W-What about in the opinion of a-a be-….a beautiful _girl _mechanic?" Ed thought he was going to faint before he heard her answer. He felt like ice was running through his veins, butterflies were break dancing in his stomach and his skin was on fire.

Winry stood motionless, frozen by shock. '_Does Ed mean…does he mean **me**?'_ Winry reveled in the thought and decided to push a little. "Well I don't know any beautiful girl mechanics." She saw Ed look up at her and for a second she thought he looked at her as though he was pleading her to stop. She blinked and looked at Ed again, this time she saw solid determination and playfulness in his gaze.

"You're right, I don't know any either." Winry felt her stomach sink a little and her hopes shattered. She pushed back the tears that were threatening to surface and was once again about to head out the door when Ed's voice reached her ears again.

"I know a gorgeous one." Butterflies erupted in Winry's stomach; _thousand_ of butterflies. She jogged out the room and into the washroom, quickly locking the door behind her. Bringing her hands to her face, Winry's face broke out into a grin and she fought from shouting out loud.

Winry looked up suddenly and realized that she still hadn't answered Ed's question. He ended up being the one to say his opinion. The urge to shout increased and Winry grabbed a towel to smother her joyous laughter.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Winnrryyyy!" Ed's desperate cry was heard from downstairs.

"My dear, I believe your patient wants you again." Pinako blew a few rings of smoke with her pipe before turning back to the task of preparing dinner.

Al snickered behind his alchemy book but decided to run when he heard Winry pick up her wrench.

Winry sighed and headed up the stairs towards Ed's room. Keeping up her annoyed mask as she reached the second floor, Winry stopped in front of Ed's door and finally allowed her smile to break onto her face before she replaced it with concern. She opened the door and tried to hide her laughter behind her hand as she was greeted with an amusing sight.

Ed was attempting to balance his weight on one leg and make it across the room without falling and hitting his head. His dizziness wasn't helping, but he _really_ needed to go pee! Ed looked up at Winry pathetically as his leg shook, his injury still not fully healed.

Winry slipped Ed's arm over her shoulder as she helped him move slowly towards the door before she realized she had no idea where he wanted her to take him. "Ed? Where did you want to go?" Suddenly anger bled into her mind as she exclaimed, "Anyways, you're supposed to be resting! Listen for once so you can get better!" She noticed Ed's slightly blushing face and decided to stop further scolding.

"I…um, I need to use the washroom."

"Need help with that too?"

"What!" The shock fell onto Ed's face like a thick blanket and Winry couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Winry waited outside the washroom as Ed did his business. She heard the toilet flush and found herself saying, "Don't forget to wash your hands." His angered outburst was accompanied by her gentle smile.

"Winry?"

"Need help again?" She said it in a jokingly-annoyed way and expected him to have another outburst but was surprised when he answered with an affirmative. "What do you need help with?"

"I want to take a shower but I don't know if I can make it down the stairs and stay upright while I'm bathing." Ed refused to look Winry in the eyes as he said this. He was going to die of embarrassment by the time he got better. He just _knew_ he was.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed took back his statement from earlier that day; he almost died about 5 minutes ago. Ed sat in his room as Winry sat behind him, drying his hair with a towel and combing it out. The memory crept up on Ed before he could stop it.

_Ed stood underneath the water with his one arm holding onto the wall for support as Winry washed his hair. It felt really good with her nails scratching his scalp and easing out the knots in his hair. He sighed into the rush of water; he could stay like that forever._

"_Done!" Winry exclaimed and stepped back to grab a sponge._

"_Why are you getting the sponge?" Ed almost hit himself for his own stupidity. A shower was obviously not just for washing your hair. "I-I can do the rest I think." Ed pushed himself off the wall and reached for the sponge when the ground suddenly seemed to be getting closer._

_Winry caught him as he was about to fall but the slippery grass made her own feet unstable and he fell on top of her._

"_Ow, ow, ow…" Ed mumbled into Winry's hair, seemingly not noticing that the reason her hair was there was because she was under him._

_Giggling erupted from under Ed and he started to shake with the body beneath him. Ed was abruptly informed by his body of exactly what was happening. His nerves tingled as he felt her wet skin on his own and he began to realize what happened. Before he knew it, he was laughing as well._

"_Brother!" Ed and Winry's heads turned in unison to look at Al's slightly shocked and amused stare. "If you guys wanted to be alone, you could've at least told me and Auntie!" Before they had a chance to react, Al had hurried back into the house laughing merrily and calling for Pinako telling her that they should leave the house before they heard things they weren't supposed to._

Ed felt his face burning as the memory faded. He wondered how Winry felt about it. It must be a little worse for her; he doubted that she wanted that to happen.

"I'm sorry...about what happened. I didn't mean to fall on you or embarrass you." Ed couldn't believe himself. He must have changed so much during his time across the gate. He was _apologizing_! And on his own will too. This didn't seem to faze Winry though.

"It's alright; I'm the one who slipped." She laughed at the memory. "And Al knows that you don't care for me that way."

"Says who?" Ed let the words slip from his mouth before he could stop himself. What was he saying? He didn't care for Winry that way. Disgusted by his own thoughts, Ed quickly recovered, "I mean, who said that there was a storm tonight?"

"There's a storm tonight?" Ed smirked in satisfaction; that got her mind off of the topic.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed hadn't even known there was really going to be a storm that night, but before he knew it the winds were howling and snow pounded against the windows, walls, and doors.

Earlier that evening, Pinako had called and said that she and Al had gone out to the grocery store right before the storm started; Ed and Winry were alone for the night and possibly the next few days.

Part of Ed was annoyed and part of him was overjoyed. Ed didn't know which part was the one he should abide by and ended up looking at the mirror with an annoyed smile that reached his eyes.

"I'm going crazy." Ed decided as he stared at the bathroom mirror.

"Damn right you are if you're talking to yourself in the bathroom. Hurry up." Winry's amused but strained voice came from the other side of the door.

Ed slowly opened the door and hopped out in front of Winry. She was quite obviously scared of the storm, but she tried very hard to hide it. They headed back to Ed's room and wound their way through the automail parts and tools that lay on the floor, towards the bed. Once Ed got comfortably settled in the bed, he turned to Winry.

"Thanks for taking care of me today. If you ever need anything, I'm there to help." Ed smiled weakly as exhaustion took over. "G'night Win…" Ed was about to fall asleep when the roaring of the wind increased a few octaves and a loud thud sounded from above them.

Winry yelped in fright and ran to Ed's side. "Ed? Are you awake."

"Hell yes, what was that?" Ed looked around frantically before stilling his head; a headache was coming back again. His head cleared but throbbed slightly and his ears were greeted with soft whimpering from the girl beside him. '_Shit, I forgot she doesn't like storms.'_ Ed reached his hand out to Winry.

Winry looked up at Ed's outstretched hand in wonder. "Come here." She gasped softly at the gentle command. '_Is Ed trying to comfort me?'_ That idea seemed unworldly, but that didn't say much seeing as Ed himself was unworldly now. She wanted so badly to lay there next to him and have him protect her from any fear of storms or anything of the like. At the same time another part of her scolded her for thinking such things, Ed needed to rest, and anyways he didn't care for her that way.

Ed watched as Winry seemed to think over his offer carefully. It was starting to annoy him. Ed reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her to the edge of the bed. "Sit." He ordered. She obeyed.

"We can talk until the storm dies down." He whispered to her softly as she grabbed his single hand between her own. She leaned onto his shoulder and nodded her head.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry crept into her bed at around 1:00 a.m. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out cold; it seemed as though caring for Ed took as much out of her as it did for Ed.

Ed lay awake for a few moments, in his own room, thinking. They had talked about the past and about Al and Pinako. He hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. They had talked for three hours and the storm had died down half way through the second hour.

Ed smiled lightly, but the gesture turned into a grimace as the pounding in his head insisted that he get some rest. With a loud yawn, Ed slid down into his sheets and drifted off to sleep easily.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: For some reason that chapter took me a while to write. I'll try to write better next time! For now you have to put up with this chapter. Sorry guys.**

**Xoxoxox!**


	4. Winter: Adjustments

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Winter: Adjustments

Chapter 4

By: RomanceFanFicLover

It's been two weeks since Ed was first injured and he was still having massive headaches. The doctor had said that it was common for him to have headaches quite often for up to even a year. "Rest is the best cure, but medication could be taken" was what the doctor had said. Ed had quite bluntly told the doctor that "Like hell I'm taking medication. That shit knocked me out cold" and was soon slapped rather hard by Pinako for his bad language.

Winry couldn't help herself as she stared at Ed's back. '_He really has changed'_ she mused quietly to herself. She watched quietly as Ed sat in the snow, leg stretched out with one arm fiddling in his lap. Making sure not to make a sound, Winry turned to return back into the house. She should have known better though, Ed was so close to being physic sometimes that it was scary.

"See something interesting Winry?" Ed's voice clearly showed that he was smirking.

"Have any other lines Ed?" Winry cocked an eyebrow but let a grin spread across her face as she mad her way over to him. Once she was almost close enough to see what he was playing with in his lap, Ed put it away into a small back which rested on his leg.

"Whatcha got there?" Winry's curiosity got the better of her as she sat down beside Ed and had to refrain herself from grabbing the bag.

"Nothing. It's none of your business." Ed answered coolly, glaring at the grass on his opposite side. "When are you going to reattach my automail? It's done isn't it?"

"Yes, but the doctor said-"

"Like I care what that old man said!"

"Ed! If we attach it while your head is still injured, the fever and pain could make you seriously ill or make your headaches permanent."

"But-…okay, never mind." Ed stared off into the distance, a helpless and frustrated expression on his face. It reminded Winry of when Ed was still little. "Why are you laughing?" his growling voice broke Winry out of her fit of giggles as he glared at her.

Winry took a few gulps of air to sooth her lungs before she asked, "Ed, what are your five favorite childhood memories?"

Ed looked at her in surprise before returning to his usual grimace. "I guess I never really took the time to think about it…" Ed trailed off, his head was starting to hurt again; he didn't want to think about childhood memories when he couldn't even bring himself to think about alchemy.

"Well start thinking, I'll tell you my favorite memories after you tell me yours." Winry grinned wickedly at him.

"What? That's not fair; you've always gone last; even when we were kids."

Winry couldn't help but giggle as she looked at Ed, he probably didn't even notice he was pouting. Ed stared at her questioningly and she began to wind out of her laughter, "You're too cute sometimes."

"Thought you said I wasn't cute."

Winry's eyes widened in shock; she had forgotten about that conversation and he probably had as well until she opened her big mouth.

Ed smirked devilishly as he watched the emotions pass across Winry's face; surprise, shock, embarrassment, anger, embarrassment again, some more anger and even more embarrassment.

"I-I…uh, I need to finish your automail repairs." Winry got up and hurried towards the house.

"Hey! I need help getting up, don't leave me here! Winry! Winry!" Ed glared at the door as it slammed shut. "Stupid machine freak…"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Al was reading a book on alchemy peacefully in the living room. He was waiting for Pinako to finish up some jobs before they were to visit Nelly, then he had the rest of the day full with little things he wanted to do; might as well get some reading time in.

However, his peaceful reading time was quickly disturbed.

"Hey! I need help getting up, don't leave me here! Winry! Winry!" Ed's shouting voice made Al look up from his alchemy book just as Winry came flying through the door, slamming it shut, and running into her workroom.

"Winry…?" Al sat in both horror and shock as he looked between the slammed shut front door, and the recently slammed shut workroom door. "Ed…?" Al decided the safer between the two would be Ed. Without a body of steel, wrenches hurt a whole lot more.

Kicking aside the alchemy book that he had dropped during Winry's stampede, Al made his way outside to check on Ed.

"Brother?"

"Hey Al, help me up?" Al was very glad he decided to talk to his brother first, he didn't want to die at the age of 18 and luckily Ed seemed in an incredibly good mood.

"Brother, why are you so happy? Did something good happen?" If something made his brother _this_ happy, then Al wanted to know what it was.

Ed couldn't beat down the enormous smile that was plastered onto his face. His stomach was bubbling and he had a strange urge to run around singing and laughing. Ed shook his head of the thought and let his brother help him up. "Thanks Al."

"So Brother, was it something good that happened with Winry?" Al wiggled his eyebrows at Ed in a suggestive way.

"Huh? Al! What the hell's wrong with you!" Ed looked like he was caught between incredible anger and faint-worthy shock. "You spend too much time with that old hag…"

Al chuckled as his brother grumbled on about Pinako and how crazy she was. As he helped Ed make his way across the yard and up the porch Al realized that Ed should've had his automail back by now. "Brother? Isn't this the longest time you've spent without your automail?"

"Shut up Al."

"I was just asking!"

"No, don't remind me. It's the doctor's fault anyways." The conversation was ended as the brothers made their way into the house.

Al set his brother onto the couch before he made his way upstairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go run some errands with Auntie Pinako, Brother."

Ed blanched, "What is she, your best friend or something?"

"Don't be stupid Ed. Al has more friends then you do, since he's taller and all." Pinako stood at the top of the stairs smiling smugly with her pipe hanging form her mouth.

"Shut up old hag."

"Pipsqueak."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A-"

"AUNTIO PINAKO LET'S GO NOW." Al picked up Pinako and bolted from the house.

"COME BACK HERE YOU CHICKEN!" Ed shouted after them before the door closed.

Al put Pinako down and muttered an apology before catching his breathing and following her down the path.

"What do you need to buy Auntie?"

"Groceries."

"Didn't we buy groceries the other day?"

"We need more." Pinako had a glint in Al's eyes that told him that that was most difinitely not the case.

"So, Auntie, have any ideas on how to get those two together?"

"Leave the house as often as possible for now."

Their evilly diabolical plans of doom for the couple continued as they walked down the road towards the town's many stores.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Winry…" Ed whined as he sat immobile on the couch; too hungry to move to get her. '_I've been calling her for five full minutes. What is she doing in there? Why is she denying me! I'm dying here!'_ "Winry!" Ed's voice echoed throughout the house.

"What!" Winry's angered face appeared out of the workroom door.

"I'm hungry." Ed stated it as though it were an obvious fact.

"Then go eat." Winry turned to go back into the workroom.

"You know I can't!" That didn't seem enough for her; she took the first step towards the workroom, half her body inside the room. "Please!" Ed was sure that was going to work.

"Only if you do me a favor." Winry's full body was once again inside the living room.

Ed hesitated, the look on her face wasn't _exactly_ evil, but it was close enough. Gulping down the lump in his throat, Ed nodded his head in answer. The grin on her face became wider and Ed could almost see the wheels turning inside her head.

"_Any_ favor?" The tone of her voice was sweet, sickly sweet.

Ed narrowed his eyes at her, studying her face for any traces of pure evil, but all he saw was regular old Winry. Once again he nodded an affirmative. The grin grew even wider and the wheels turned faster.

"As many as I want…?" Okay, _now_ she was pushing it. But, when you've got to eat, you've got to eat.

"Yes…" Ed grumbled as he glared at her, signifying that that was as far as she goes.

"Wait right there." Winry went back into the workroom and Ed heard her shuffling around; moving things, pulling things up, putting away things and picking things up.

Winry reappeared with Ed's automail arm and leg and placed them on the couch beside Ed before going back inside the room and returning with her toolbox.

"I thought you said you couldn't do it yet."

"Take these." Winry held out two large pills, probably painkillers. Ed looked at her in horror. "Trust me, this way there will be a smaller chance that your injury will get worse, and anyways I have to make some last adjustments when the automail is attached.

"But Auntie Pinako isn't here, so how are you going to put the leg and arm in at the same time?" Dread pooled into Ed's stomach ad he eyed the automail viciously.

"I'm not." Ed's head whipped up to look at her face. She was serious. Dead serious.

"Y-You…YOU WHAT!"

Winry leaned in front of Ed so that her face was inches from his. Using her best puppy eyes and most sultry voice she whispered, "Trust me…please?" She had to fight form grinning as Ed practically melted into the palm of her hand.

Ed hastily grabbed the pills and swallowed them without water. He turned his face away from Winry's before she noticed him blushing. '_I'm not blushing, I'm not blushing, I'm not blushing…'_ Ed chanted the mantra in his head as he felt his face burning even more.

"Hurry up and undress." Winry pretend to be preparing tools as she watched Ed take off his jacket, shirt, boots, and pants, before settling back into the couch. Winry took a deep breath and stood up.

"I'll be back." Winry's voice sounded slurred to Ed as he looked up at her. She looked blurry as well.

"Winry, what were…?" Ed drifted off into unconsciousness and Winry took another deep breath.

"He's going to kill me…" she muttered as she prepared his arm for attachment. "I'm sorry Ed." She whispered the apology as she attached the leg and his unconscious body visibly flinched.

After finally attached the leg as well, Ed's prone body was whimpering softly. Winry bit back the tears that threatened to spill. She felt like she was betraying him, but it was for his own good. Her conscience laid back and relaxed as Winry decided she wasn't at fault and began carving into the automail arm.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed's vision was blurred and the whole world seemed to be swaying in front of him. He groaned in confusion and pain as he realized his arm and leg were re-attached.

"Winry…" Ed called out to her softly, his throat was scratchy; he needed a drink. "Winry…"

"Hmm?" Ed was surprised that she was so close to him, her voice drifted up to him from the area near his metal leg.

"Water…" He felt her move past him and heard glasses clinking together in the kitchen. She came back shortly after, just as Ed was clearing his vision.

He reached his right hand up but soon groaned in pain. He looked up at her expectantly.

Winry sighed but tipped the glass towards his mouth anyways. After he drained about half the glass Winry pulled it away from him and went back to what she was doing before.

Ed watched her curiously as she chiseled into the metal plating on his leg. "Winry what are you doing?"

"Making adjustments…" she mumbled absent-mindedly.

Ed continued to watch her and began to realizing there were suddenly words on his leg. He couldn't make them out yet because Winry's arm was covering most of it.

The minutes ticked by and Ed was starting to get impatient. He looked at Winry who was still in deep concentration. '_She really is beautiful…'_ Ed shook his head of the thought only to realize that his hair was out of his braid and had been combed out. '_So she's taking advantage of me while I'm sleeping, huh? Well she doesn't concentrate when she's working, time to torture.'_

Ed smirked as a thought came into his head. She didn't play fair when she made him take the pills; _no one_ could have resisted _that_. Ed continued to play with the thought before he decided, '_Time to even up the scores.'_

Winry froze as a warm hand caressed her bare arm and shoulder. She looked at the hand and her eyes trailed up the wrist and arm that were attached until she looked Ed in the face. His molten lava eyes were burning into her own in a way that made her legs feel weak.

Ed mentally smirked as Winry looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. He found himself leaning towards her as though something was pulling him towards her. "Winry…" he breathed her name in a voice he didn't even recognize as his own.

Winry was sure he was about to kiss her, he was so close. If she just…just leaned in a little then maybe she could- "Winry…you're leaning on my leg and hurting me." She blinked a few times, as though slowly processing his words through her head.

Winry flushed a light pink and leaned back, "Sorry…" she muttered before bowing her head and getting back to work. What the hell was this feeling in her stomach? No it was a little lower than her stomach…Oh God, not _there._ No, she was pretty sure it wasn't there either, sort of in the middle.

"Winry…?" Ed looked at her, blatantly amused. She realized she had stopped working. He was starting to lean towards her again and she turned back to her work quickly.

Ed tried not to pout as she diverted his 'attack'. His hair brushed his shoulder and he got another idea.

Winry paused again as Ed started playing with her bangs. She glared at him, and he dropped it after giving her an innocent look that stated, "Who me?"

Winry finally finished carving the last word as Ed's hand trailed up her arm again. The feeling was back again; the feeling that seemed to be in-between everything. She abruptly stood up and exclaimed, "Done!"

"Done what?" Ed looked down at his leg and tried to make out the words. 'Property of Winry Rockbell' was carved into his leg.

Winry watched as Ed's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to make out the words from his weird angle. His mouth dropped open and he quickly re-read what she had written.

"W-What is this!" Ed exclaimed, pointing to his leg.

"It's your automail, you should know that by now." She received a glare for her comment, but she remained calm.

"Not that you idiot! This!" He pointed to the words and she just looked at him questioningly. "This!" He shouted again, waving his hand over the words. "What does it say!"

"The truth of all truths." Winry grinned wickedly as Ed paled.

"Don't joke around with that shit." His words held no malice and his glare was empty, "Why is your 'truth' carved into my leg?"

"It's in your arm too."

"What…? What? What!" Ed grabbed his right arm and looked at the words carved into it. 'Property of Winry Rockbell' was also written there. "What the hell is this!"

Winry pouted, Ed blushed. "You said as many favors as I want. That's one."

"But what happened to the adjustments you were going to make to them?"

"Those are the adjustments."

Ed looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Now you're going to clean my room, sort out the workroom, do the dishes, do my laundry for the next two months."

Ed sat there speechless. His brain felt numb. Maybe attaching the automail was a bad idea after all.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Once again, feedback would be great! And don't be afraid to criticize! I don't bite… :-evil grin-:**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	5. Winter: Obsessions

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Winter: Obsessions

Chapter 5

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Ed fought the blush that was quickly spreading across his face; he'd been doing this for a month and a half already and he still froze up when he reached the 'intimate wear' section of Winry's laundry. He couldn't really decide whether he was traumatized or blessed by this sight once every week.

"Ed! Back to work!" Winry called from the other room. How she always knew when he stopped, he'd never know.

Ed secretly reveled in the though that Winry seemed to know him better then Al now. Ed knew he always had a soft spot for Winry. She's pretty, smart, tough, funny, pretty, did he mention tough? Ed sighed lightly. This wasn't like him, not at all. He continued washing her clothes, musing on how he'd become a housewife of sorts.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry sat in the living room, legs propped up on the table, reading the new catalogue on automail that had arrived two days ago. She heard the splashing of water continue, but the rhythm of it had changed.

"Ed! Back to work!" She shouted over her shoulder before she even realized that she had turned.

She'd always loved Ed, she'd figured that out when she was about 16 and now her 19th birthday was fast approaching. However, this was just getting ridiculous.

Ed was playfully named W.S by Al and Pinako. Although Winry hadn't noticed until Ed had asked them what the hell it meant. They laughed and exchanged glances before Al had said "Winry's Shadow."

Sure, they spent a lot of time together now, but that was just because she had convinced her to be his slave. Winry grinned evilly to herself, imagining Ed in a maid's uniform. Red burst onto her face as a blush smothered her face and she giggled into her hand.

Clearing up her thoughts, she once again tried to concentrate on the automail designs in front of her.

'_Ed would like that one…_' she thought absently before she hit herself over the head with the book. '_Winry! Get a hold of yourself!'_ She took a deep breath and put aside the book.

Ed had been drifted through her thoughts more then usual, and that was a lot. After protesting the carvings in his automail, Ed had finally given into the idea. When he thought she wasn't looking, she'd catch him staring at the words with a strange look in his eyes.

Winry was extremely pleased with herself, she had gotten Ed to open up to her more and now they talked more freely then they had two months ago. The idea of him becoming her slave certainly worked to her advantage as well; she had more free time, and Ed was forced to stay near her in case she wanted anything done. Although there was that first time that Ed had done her laundry…Winry blushed at the thought.

_Winry instructed Ed on what to do and surveyed his workmanship. He randomly pulled out an article of clothing each time, scrubbed, rinsed then hung it up to dry. He repeated this process and developed a rhythm. Winry memorized the rhythm easily and immediately noticed when he wasn't concentrating or was only pretending to work._

_The rhythm had stopped completely and Winry glanced at Ed. She froze in horror as Ed held one of her rather stringy 'intimates' in his hands. Ed turned slowly to her, a smirk fighting to make its way to his face but he fought it ruthlessly. Winry saw the obvious amusement in his eyes though, so his attempts were futile._

_Winry swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and looked Ed square in the face. "What's wrong? Keep working." She hoped her voice sounded as strong as she tried to make it. Ed shrugged and turned around to continue working. She heard him snickering to himself and decided to remember that she had left the stove on._

Winry smiled softly to herself. It was still a pretty nice memory, and memorable moments were scarce with Ed.

"Hey, what are you so giddy about?" Ed looked at as the corners of his lips turned up slightly. He leaned against the doorframe with one foot tucked neatly behind the other and his arms crossed; he almost looked as though he was posing for her.

"What are you, a model?" Winry joked before remembering that Al had come in earlier asking for Ed. "Al was looking for you, I think he went to Nelly's though."

Ed seemed to contemplate going after him as he pushed off the doorframe and made his way to the kitchen.

Winry watched him go by and noticed that he was wearing shorts and not his boxers or black pants. That was a first. Actually, he had been wearing shorts and t-shirts a lot more often, which was very strange attire for winter.

"Ed, why are you wearing shorts in winter?" She could have sworn she saw Ed blush lightly.

"Why do _you_ wear _miniskirts_ in winter?" Ed turned to her with a triumphant smirk. She must have imagined the blush, probably the lighting or something.

He was right; it was much warmer in the house anyways. Winry shrugged and picked up the book again.

Ed watched her from behind the kitchen counter; that was close. He breathed a sigh of relief into the glass he held to his lips. He looked at the metal hand that held the glass, then down at the metal leg that was leaning against the counter. He stared at the words carved into both of them, and let himself relax.

He was a cocky, arrogant and prideful guy, that part of him was almost as legendary as his alchemy, so why not flaunt something you have pride in?

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry had gone out two hours ago. She had offered to take Ed with her to the job she had that morning, but being the stubborn jackass that he is; Ed refused. Now he sat in his room staring at the wall.

He was _so_ bored. He hadn't been like this since…ever. Between the time he was born and the time the 'incident' happened, he had always been outside or with Al or with Winry. Between the time he joined the military and the time he was sent across the gate, he was busy searching for the philosopher's stone. While he was in the gate, he was busy looking for a way back. And when he first came back, well that was only a few months but they were still filled with _something_.

Ed sighed, he wasn't even sure how long he had been inside the room; but the sun seemed farther down and Winry still wasn't back yet. For some reason this annoyed Ed, _a lot_.

"Edward! Dinner!" Pinako's voice echoed slightly in the hallway before reaching Ed's room.

Dinner? Already? But where was Winry? She said she'd be back for dinner.

Something in his chest seemed to tighten as he made his way downstairs and joined that table.

"Is something bothering you Brother?" Al was careful to keep his tone casual as he ate a forkful of food.

"No…why?" Ed's suspicion rose as Al and Pinako quietly exchanged glances.

"You're not eating." Ed looked down at his plate in surprise. Over the past 15 minutes he had spent at the table he had only succeeded to swirl his food around in his plate until it turned to something relative to mush.

"Oh…" This was strange to Ed; he hadn't felt like this before. Why was he so down today? Was it because Winry wasn't here with him? Ed started to panic at that thought; he wasn't supposed to be upset when Winry wasn't around. "I'm going for a walk." Ed got up hastily and fled the scene.

After grabbing his coat, bursting through the door and jumping down the porch steps, Ed had finally calmed his nerves and was walking at a reasonable pace. He looked around leisurely while stuffing his hands in his pocket.

He had forgotten what he was wearing; shorts were most difinitely not good for the winter. Ed made a mental note of that. He kept walking aimlessly with no real thoughts catching his attention. He hadn't even noticed he had gone straight to the area where Winry had told him she was doing some jobs today.

Ed laughed self-consciously. "What a coincidence, well might as well look for her while I'm here. I have nothing better to do." He wasn't saying it to anyone in particular, especially seeing as not many people were around. Double-checking that his conscience didn't think he was in denial, Ed began weaving his way through the houses that inhabited the area.

"Ed?" Winry looked at him strangely, almost nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Winry? Oh, what a coincidence, I was just taking a walk and…" Winry laughed suddenly and latched onto Ed's arm.

"Thank you for picking me up Ed. Sorry I was late." She gave him a soft smile and he tried not to give in.

"I was really going for a walk you know, don't get any ideas." Winry nodded quietly and they began walking.

Who was he kidding? He was the one getting ideas as she hugged his arm close to her chest. If his bare legs weren't keeping him cool then he was sure he would be melting. This wasn't like him. Something was…wrong?

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Al was just starting to doze off when he heard a knock on his door.

"Yes?" his voice was thick with exhaustion.

"It's me, can I come in?" Al sat up slowly. Why would Ed want to talk this late?

"Uh, sure." The door opened and Ed stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"What's up, brother?" Al was wide awake now, curiosity beating down his exhaustion.

"Al, can I ask you a question…?" Ed's voice was soft, he was obviously really bothered by this.

"Sure." Al chirped his answer happily, trying to push away the nervousness that was starting to build. The last time his brother wanted to ask him a question late at night it didn't go very well.

Ed dragged his feet across the floor as he walked towards Al's bed. Al felt the bed shift under the added weight as Ed sat down. Waiting patiently, Al looked expectantly at his older brother. His brow was knitted and a look of concentration and contemplation was etched into his features. When Ed finally spoke, Al had to fight from jumping in fright; his voice shook in fear and that was difinitely not like the Ed he had known for 18 years.

"Al, what does it mean when if you're without something or someone you don't know what to do. You think about the thing or person all the time and put them before everything." Ed took a deep breath, as though he was trying to steady himself, "What does it mean when you feel hopeless and lost when your without it, but when you have it with you it seems like the world is so much simpler and so wonderful? Is it bad? Am I crazy? Al, tell me!" Ed's eyes were wide in confusion and possibly a hint of fear; the child prodigy, youngest state alchemist in the country, defeater of the homunculi and a child genius did not know what this feeling he had was, and it scared the daylights out of him.

"Brother, are you talking about a person or a thing?" Al wasn't sure if he should feel bad or be ridiculously happy.

"What does it matter?" Ed glared at his brother defensively.

"Because it could mean different things depending on what it is." Al watched as his brother thought over what he said obviously weighing the options of telling him or asking for a general description.

"Tell me both." Al wasn't expecting that request. Although he was disheartened that he didn't figure out whether or not Ed had developed feelings for their beloved mechanic, he thought over Ed's original question.

"Well, if it's an object, then it could be that you are obsessed with it. If it is a person then it is probably love that you feel."

"How do you get over them?"

"Uh…An obsession is much easier to get over, you have to focus on things other than the object and try to stay away from it." The expression on Ed's face told Al that he probably liked that answer.

"And for love?"

"For love…? Some people never get over their love, and it's much harder to just stop loving someone than it is to stop obsessing over an object." Al liked his own answer this time and grinned in pride of his logic.

Al noticed that this answer didn't seem to satisfy Ed as much as it did for himself, as a scowl took over his brother's face. "Um, well actually-"

"Thanks Al." Al barely heard the murmured words as Ed quickly retreated from the room.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed shuffled into his room and closed the door quietly. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time, not really thinking about anything. He tried to keep his mind blank but it didn't get him very far.

'_I don't love her. I don't love her. I don't love her.'_ Ed felt torn. As he repeated his mantra over and over again part of him felt relieved that it was being burned into his brain and another part of him felt strangely betrayed.

"It's an obsession huh?" Ed murmured the words into the air before a snore replaced their sound.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

It had been two weeks since Ed had walked her home that night, and he'd stayed away from her as well as possible. By the third day she had already asked him if she did anything wrong and even let him off his "duties", but Ed just brushed off her kindness and replied to it with a snide remark.

By the end of the week she had all of her wrenches lined up to attack him. Luckily, Al had caught her before she could actually deliver any damage to the golden-eyed teen.

Two days ago, when Ed had refused to eat his dinner because she had made it, it was the last straw. She screeched her lungs dry at him, throwing anything from forks to spoons before Al once again stopped her from getting more violent.

She had given up. If he really wanted her out of his life, like he had so loudly proclaimed during their kitchenware fight, then she'd walk out and stay out.

She had shared this thought with her grandmother but was only rewarded with a lecture and some scolding. Winry decided to try Al's opinion but delivered a melodramatic speech on true friendships and his brother's disillusioned sense of the world.

So that was how Winry decided that instead of just walking out on him, she'd give him a taste of his own medicine.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed's plan was going better than he thought it would. Winry not only avoided him now, she was also beyond angry at him.

"There's no going back now." Ed's face had a smirk plastered all over it, but his voice was saddened. This confused him thoroughly; he was happy, wasn't he?

Before he could dig deeper into the subject, the front door opened behind him.

"Oh, it's you." Ed's eyes widened at the blatant dislike in the voice. The sneering voice couldn't possibly be from…?

Ed turned, fearing every second and caught a glimpse of pinkish-purple working overalls and a swish of lemon-blonde hair.

"Winry?" Her name kissed his lips as he whispered it quietly to the house. He hadn't said her name in a while, he either called her "you" or "girl" or sometimes even "nuisance". He had felt thoroughly guilty she had stared at him with hurt bleeding from her eyes after he had referred to her as that. He was surprised she'd get that worked up with his words.

Guilt kicked him in the gut and apologies fluttered around in his head. His head reeled and he felt nauseous. His injury had been healed last week, why was it coming back? Was it even his injury? A soft sob permeated the front door and drifted to Ed's sharp ears.

"Winry?" Ed's heart clenched. Why was she crying? He's the one who felt so guilty for getting her to hate him.

'_She hates me?'_ Ed felt the nausea returning at the thought. His heart clenched more painfully and his blood ran cold.

"Winry!" Ed turned around quickly, slipping off the step he was sitting on. Quickly recapturing his footing, he flung the door open and was greeted with an empty living room. The sound of a door slamming shut on the second floor resonated through the house.

Swallowing the nervous lump that formed in his throat, Ed ran towards the staircase..

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry leaned against the bathroom door, breathing heavily. She felt tired, incredibly tired. It took everything she had just to grind those words out to Ed; her tone of voice took everything else in her world to come out. She had practiced in the mirror early that afternoon; she had known it would be difficult for her to say it with such hate. Sure, she fought with him regularly, but she could never hate him. After all he's been through, all the people who couldn't be there for him; she sure as hell wouldn't just up and leave.

Winry greatly contemplated hiding under her comforters; the world just seemed so unfair right now. She knew she was being immature and childish but she didn't care. Ed was being childish too! She mentally berated herself.

'_Winry, get a hold of yourself. You're 19! Don't act like you're 6.'_

This wasn't right! What she was doing wasn't right at all. She had known, her gut had told her to try harder, not to get so frustrated.

She growled at herself; stupid, stupid, stupid girl, how could she just retaliate by pushing Ed farther away from her than he had already distanced herself.

A chill ran down her spine as she realized what she may have very well done. What if Ed was too far from her now? What if she couldn't bring him back to her? What if all the time they had spent together all their lives could be so easily thrown away?

Tears washed her guilt-stricken face freely and splashed onto her chest unnoticed. Her mouth was opened slightly in order for her to breathe; her nose was starting to get stuffy from her crying. Winry reached her arm up and turned off the light in the room before she crawled in the corner and brought her knees up to her face.

Tears poured down her face into her knees as she sat their pitifully. She knew she should have gotten up, she knew this wasn't like her and she knew she had to be strong for him. But she also knew that she needed him in order for her to do all of that, and apparently Ed didn't want to even sit beside her let alone comfort her.

"I'm so stupid! So goddamned stupid!"

Burying her face further into her knees, Winry wept for everything she was sure she had lost.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed froze as he passed by the upstairs bathroom. He heard crying, no, sobbing. Heart-breaking sounds leaked out of the wooden door as Winry muttered to herself and shifted into the room.

Silence passed for a few seconds and Ed reached for the doorknob before he paused once again as her words became clear enough for him to hear her.

"I'm so stupid. So goddamned stupid." Ed felt the bottom of his stomach drop when he heard Winry's sobs strengthen. Swallowing his own tears, Ed opened the door and was greeted with darkness.

The crying stopped and soft sniffling came from a corner. Closing the door, Ed shuffled towards the corner slowly but slammed his flesh knee into the toilet before he reached his destination. He cursed loudly and Winry made an 'eep' sound. He figured it was because she had finally realized it was him.

"Winry…? Can you see where I am?" He ground the words out through his teeth and he bit his lip in pain. Receiving a grunt in response, Ed continued. "Come here then…please?" His voice was strained from the slight throbbing that now replaced the stinging in his knee cap.

A few moments passed without a sound and Ed began to fear that he had pushed her too much, that she really hated him now. A warm hand wrapped around his flesh hand and Ed almost had a heart attack. "Ah! Don't DO that!" Ed panted loudly as he sought to stop his heart from beating wildly.

"Sorry…" Winry smiled softly in the darkness but carefully guarded herself just incase this "normal-ness" was only a small lapse in his new hatred for her.

"No…I…I should be the one saying sorry." Once again Ed found himself surprised by how easily the words flowed from his mouth.

"What?" Even with the darkness obscuring his vision, Ed could picture Winry's bewildered face looking up at him.

"I've been acting like a jerk lately and I'm sorry. I don't know what-" The last part of Ed's apology was cut short as Winry leapt at him and tackled him to the ground in a fierce hug. "W-Winry?"

"Thank you so much…" Her voice was filled with tears and Ed felt the wetness of them stream down his neck. "I thought you hated me, thank you so much!"

Ed stared down at the muted blonde hair that tickled his cheek in amazement before he relaxed enough to hesitantly wrap his arms around her. "I'd never hate you Winry…"

'_I-…I love her.'_ Ed didn't dare say the words that embedded themselves into his knowledge, '_Winry Rockbell. The machine freak, my best friend since I was two, the first girl who I ever admired and so much more. And I love her.'_

For some reason Ed savored this information and tucked it away for safe keeping.

Winry looked up from Ed's shoulder to see a large grin on his face and his eyes shining with pure happiness. Winry didn't know what it was for, but she knew she hadn't seen that look for over 10 years. And she became overjoyed as well.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	6. Spring: Rainy Days

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

**A/N: Okay guys, I'm sorry I haven't been updating very quickly lately, but now I have finished part 1 (Winter) and we head into the season of the birds and the bees -:wink:- just kidding, it's rated teen for a reason you perverts P**

Seasons

Spring: Rainy Days

Chapter 6

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Winry sighed softly as she leaned on her balcony railing with a steaming mug of tea warming her hands in the slightly chilly spring air. A rain drop fell from heaven and onto her neck, making her shiver lightly and look up into the sky.

Winry's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the large thunder clouds approaching Risembool. She loved rain but she hated downpours and she loved lightning but she hated thunder. Furrowing her brow, Winry turned back into her workshop.

Setting the mug down with a small 'thud', she flopped into her seat and stared at the automail design lying on the table before her.

"You're never going to get any work done that way Win." Whirling around in her chair, Winry shot a glare at the smug not-so-midget-anymore midget in front of her. She hated that he grew, well actually that wasn't true. She loved the fact that he was the height as her now; but now she couldn't tease him and she was done by a lot in the insult category now.

"Hey Ed, is it just me or did you shrink again?" She grinned sadistically as he struggled to produce a response; maybe she still had a few short jokes that could work.

"Winry did you get fatter?"

"WHAT!"

And so the morning began in the Rockbell household; yelling, throwing random objects, running around the house. Pinako grunted in response to Winry's plead, "Granny! Stop Ed so I can pummel him to death with the wrench he bought me last week!"

"Hey I gave you that for automail not my skull; you really must be stoooopid!" Ed taunted as he stood a safe distance from her; hiding behind the couch.

"You're the stupid one for buying me it then aren't you? Stupid!"

"Shut up! Machine Freak!"

"Alchemy Geek!"

The fight ensued as they ended up back upstairs and Ed darted into Winry's room.

Winry arrived at the doorway only to freeze in horror. Ed stood in front of her bed holding a tiny red notebook.

"Well lookie here! What has the wonderful, NOT-SHORT, child prodigy found in the machine freak's room? A D-I-A-R-Y!"

Winry's face suddenly dropped and Ed watched curiously as emotions flew through her expressions; surprise, shock, fear, embarrassment, and then anger.

"Ed, what are you doing! Put it down please."

"Make me." Ed stuck his tongue out at her before slowly opening the cover.

"Ed!" He looked at her cockily as he placed the last written-on page between his human thumb and forefinger.

"Oh, the latest entry! Let's see what the completely non-sexy and non-cute automail fanatic has to say, shall we?"

"No!" Winry flung herself at Ed and heard Ed's surprised intake of breath before her body collided with his own.

The force of Winry's tackle went unnoticed as Ed caught sight of his name written several times within the entry, however when Ed noticed that he had landed on the bed with Winry on top of him…It was kind of hard not to take notice.

Ed lay on the bed in shock and Winry took the opportunity to grab the book. Once she felt the smooth cover securely in her hand Winry pushed off of Ed and made a run for the door. A cold metal hand wrapped around her wrist with extreme force and Winry fought not to scream in agony as the muscles bruised immediately.

Ed got to his senses when Winry had pushed down onto his chest and grabbed her wrist before she could get away. Pulling her back towards the bed and pinning her down was surprisingly easy.

"Give it back, I want to read it."

"No!"

"I'll tickle you!" Ed threatened half-heartedly.

"You wouldn't dare." Winry narrowed her eyes at him venomously.

"Behold the newly renamed Tickle Alchemist!" Winry's laughter bounced off the walls of the room and reverberated into the hallway.

"Ah!...Ed!Stop!" Getting the words in between her giggles was extremely exhausting and Winry fought for breath. '_Retaliate, Winry! Retaliate!'_

Ed loosened his hold on Winry's rib cage and was about to let her breathe when suddenly the ceiling was in his vision.

"What the…?"

"Revenge is sweet." Ed looked at her in horror; she wouldn't serious tickle him back would she!

"Brother, Winry! What did I say before! Just tell me and Auntie Pinako if you want privacy and we'll leave!" Al's body was suddenly covered by wood as he closed the door in time to avoid the red notebook flying towards his face.

Ed took this time to notice Winry was straddling with her black skirt on. Blushing furiously, Ed tossed Winry off of him and ran out the room.

When he had gotten outside his grin was uncontrollable, he had gotten the diary and she never even noticed. Ed stopped running and slowed to a walk.

"Edward!" Ed blinked quickly, '_When did the ground get so close?'_

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"DON'T TOUCH ME WITH THAT THING!"

Winry winced as a tray full of medical supplies clattered to the floor.

"Sir, if you would please just…!" The nurse frantically pleaded with the raging teen who was _supposed_ to be finishing his meal and then resting before going home.

"NO WAY IN HELL! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Winry had had enough; ten minutes of this was fine, but not an hour. "Edward Elric, drink your goddamn milk for once!"

Ed's look was enough to provide her an answer. It clearly stated "Are you nuts!" Winry decided to use a technique that proved to be successful in getting the eldest Elric to obey.

As she reached in her jacket for her wrench Winry paused. '_That's what got him into the hospital in the first place…'_ Rethinking her options, Winry resorted to playing dirty.

Ed's eyes widened as Winry crawling onto his hospital bed with him and rested her torso over his shoulder as she leaned into his face. "Please Ed? The sooner you drink it, the sooner you get out." She pouted just incase. Ed fought ruthlessly in his internal battle. '_Don't fall for it Fullmetal! You're stronger than this!'_ Winry saw the look in his eyes and decided to pull her last resort; she flashed some metal. '_She has the wrench. Drink the milk.'_

Making a face, Ed slowly grabbed the bottle of milk and dragged it closer to him. The milky substance splashed against the side of the bottle. An idea struck his head and after strategically placing his metal arm beside the bottle Ed coughed harshly.

With a smash the bottle collided with the floor and milk decorated the walls and floor.

"Oops?" Ed laughed sheepishly before he caught Winry's death glare and looked the other way with equally dark eyes. The actions reminded Ed of the time he had been in the hospital after the 5th Laboratory incident.

"I can't believe he's afraid of milk…" Winry murmured to herself as she left the room.

Ed lay back against the pillows and shouted after her, "I'm not afraid of it!" The soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the window caught Ed's attention and he watched as the droplets made patterns as they traveled down the window pain.

Blowing on the window to create a mist, Ed took his index finger and started writing in the fog he created. Another memory flooded Ed's brain as his actions once again reminded him of something of the past.

"_Winry, when we grow up, I'm going to marry you!" Ed stated as the three young children played by the river._

"_No way, brother! I'm going to marry Winry!" Al growled back furiously._

"_Na-uh!"_

"_A-huh!"_

"_No! Never, she's going to marry me." Ed tackled his brother and instigated a mini-wrestling match._

"_Winry Alphonse Elric!"_

"_Never! Winry Edward Elric!"_

"_Ew! I'd never marry either of you!" The two brothers stopped their fight to look up and the angered young girl before them._

"_Why?" They both demanded._

"_Al is too much like a little brother to me and Ed is just short."_

Ed broke out of the memory before he ended up shouting in the hospital. Grinning like an idiot, he started to write onto the glass.

Al leaned against the doorframe and watched his brother stay in his thoughts before breaking into a large smile and continued writing on the window. "Hi Brother, ready to go?" Al allowed his brother to be aware of his presence.

Ed turned around and nodded enthusiastically. "Finally! What to you so long?" Ed hopped out of bed and changed his clothes quickly before racing out the door ahead of Al.

Al made his way over to the window in curiosity. '_What was brother doing that made him so happy?'_ He started reading from the top down. First there was a smudging picture of someone who Al was pretty sure was supposed to be his brother, although didn't seem like it due to this characters height, standing on top of what he assumed was the Colonel Mustang. Next up on the masterpiece was their teacher's sign of a snake on a cross and the military sign beside it. Directly under those was a transmutation circle and a wrench.

Al laughed at the symbols; he had no idea his brother was attempting to be an artist anyways. Glancing down at the very bottom of the window Al smiled gently and turned after his brother.

In the corner, written in very neat and small letters was "Winry Edward Elric".

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

The doctor watched as the two of the teenagers traded insults while the third tried desperately to maintain peace. Turning to the old woman who was supposed to be caring for them, the doctor handed her the young man's prescription. "Young love is wonderful isn't it?"

"Oh, you see it too?"

"Indeed I do, it's a wonderful thing.

"Mmhmm…" was his only response as the elderly woman called out to the three and headed out the door. The doctor turned back to watch the three in time to see a rather large wrench coming into contact with his previous patient's skull.

Wide eyed, the doctor began to make a connection between this family's frequent doctor's visits, the two teens and the elderly woman's attitude towards it all.

"Mmhmm indeed." Before he saw anything else that may ruin his image of the town's peaceful youth, the doctor hurried into his office.

"What's wrong with him?" Winry muttered. Ed simply shrugged.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Oh my God! Ed! Look, their just calling out to me. Can you buy them for me? Please?" Winry's eyes sparkled in hope and delight as she stared lovingly at the endless array of nuts, bolts and screws.

"Winry, we're supposed to be going home, not deeper into town." Ed sighed, exasperated by Winry's energy.

Winry had dragged Ed away into a mechanic shop on their way home from the doctor. His desperate reach to Al had only resulted in Al doubling over with laughter and his Auntie Pinako giving him a look of pity before telling Winry that they'd head home ahead of them.

That is what lead Ed to being where he was now; buried under a pile of tools, sheets of metal, blowtorches, blowtorch masks, working gloves, screwdrivers, wrenches, full toolbox sets, hammer, saws and all the rest of the works. For some reason the thought of escaping had never really occurred to Ed until that particular moment, looking at her fill an entire sack with the bolts she had been admiring.

Carefully placing down the items, Ed inched towards the door.

"Ed! Look! These wire insulators are rumored to be the best! Ed come look!" Grabbing Ed by the end of his braid as he slunk past her and dragging him towards the back of the store, Winry squealed in delight at the amount of multi-coloured insulators she found.

Sighing in defeat, Ed looked down at the wire colours she had specifically picked out; she had carefully sorted them out in the palm of her hand. Ed had noticed before that the wires in his leg and arm had different coloured insulators on them.

"Hey Win?"

"U-huh?" She muttered absently as she considered whether or not she should get the thicker red insulators or the thinner red insulators.

"Why do the insulators have to be different colours?"

"For the different nerve endings. There are quite a few unimportant ones but if you cut the important ones it could deliver extreme pain to the automail wearer." Suddenly realizing that it was Ed who was asking the question, Winry gave him a suspicious leer. "Why?"

Ed laughed nervously and backed up a few steps. "I was just curious I swear!"

"Oh okay! Now I need some blue ones…" Ed leaned against the counter and waited for her to finish up her shopping spree.

When Winry had finally settled down and put away the items she didn't really need, she turned sheepishly to Ed as the price was rung up.

"Looks like I owe you a few free automail maintenance checks."

"A few! Try a lifetime supply." Ed didn't mean anything by the statement and willingly fished out his wallet.

Upon paying, Ed noticed that their were way too many items for them to carry, even if Al and Pinako were there, there would still have been way too many bags and boxes.

"Hey Win, they deliver right?" Finally noticing the growing piles of bags, boxes and carts, Winry leaned around the pile and asked the shopkeeper if they could have it delivered to the Rockbell residence. Extra payment was made and they finally headed out the door.

"SUNLIGHT! OH GLORIOUS SUNLIGHT! I'M FREE, I'M FREE!" Ed ran out the door and twirled around aimlessly.

"Don't be stupid, it's not that stuffy in there. And anyways there isn't much sunlight out right now; it's supposed to drizzling, you are an idiot."

"Then we better hurry home." Ed's logic was taking over his playfulness again.

"We have time, don't worry." Winry smiled sweetly, too sweetly in Ed's opinion, and grabbed Ed's hand before dragging him to another shop.

"Marcus Family Jewelers…?" Ed looked at Winry in shock. "_You_ want to go to a _jewelry_ store!" Ed stood on the doorstep looking white as a sheet as he stared up at the sign.

"I am a girl you know!"

"Really? Never noticed." A flirtatious voice whose body soon followed into the doorway joked to Winry.

Growling at the young man, Ed clenched his fists tightly. He was looking at Winry way too closely in Ed's opinion. "Who the hell are you?" Ed's voice was ruder than he had wanted it to be, but caught the man's attention nevertheless.

"Oh, you must be the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric! I've heard a lot about you. I'm Jonathon Marcus; my father owns this store. Ed nodded dumbly; why was this chump being so friendly with him?

"Win, let's go home."

"No, please Ed? I wanted to take a look inside." Winry pouted softly and looked at Ed was pleading eyes. It didn't work this time though, Ed's furious mind was too busy overworking itself in it's anger. '_So that's why she suddenly liked jewelry, because of that Jona-whats-it jerk. My ass that I'll go into that shop with...What the…!' _Winry had managed to drag Ed into the store during his internal rampage.

Huffing angrily Ed glared at ever piece of jewelry, every painting, every wall and every crevice of the store in disgust. Suddenly, he had an intense dislike for jewelry and he also seemed to recall a 'memory' of a jeweler who raped young girls. Those jewelers were crooks; he'd better tell Winry before she got hurt, it was for her sake of course.

As Ed was about to open his mouth Winry put her hand lightly on his own. "Ed, can you wait here please? I have to talk to Jonathon about something." Ed watched in a daze as Winry walked away from him and into the backroom door. "Employees Only" was written on the door, and wasn't that the door that that Johnny guy had gone into?

Pulled out of his daze, Ed shook his head in disbelief. She went back there with him! Ed shook with rage and stormed towards the door, "Winry get your ass out here, we're leaving!"

"Hold on, Ed! You're so impatient!" Ed was close enough to the door to hear something being snapped shut and slight whispering before the door slammed open and hit him in the face.

"Fuck! Watch where you swing that thing!" He snarled at Winry as she giggled in delight at the sign of his pain.

"Ed, it's a door, I didn't purposely swing it in your face. It's your fault for standing so close to it anyways.

"Well aren't you ever so caring?" Ed whimpered sulkily before dragging himself out of the store.

He felt depressed; it was the store's fault. It had to be. As soon as they got near it, things went downhill for Ed. "I hate jewelry stores" He mumbled incoherently as he heard a clap of thunder resound in the sky surprisingly close. Searching himself, and finally pulling out his state alchemist watch, Ed checked the time.

"7:00! Winry! Hurry up!" Ed called over his shoulder before started to make his way down the street.

"Ed! Don't just leave me, I didn't take that long."

"Yeah whatever…" For some reason, Ed couldn't bring himself to look at her. The strange feeling in his chest insisted that if he looked at her, something bad would happen. And the feeling inside his heart insisted that she had done something wrong and did not, in any circumstance, deserve his attention at the moment.

"What's wrong with you? You were fine a couple of minutes ago. What are you, homesick?" Winry teased playfully but stopped as she caught sight of the scowl placed on Ed's face.

Lightning lit the dimming sky and the clouds opened to relieve themselves of the weight they were burdened with. It wasn't just the usual drizzling rain that starts off a storm, it was a full downpour out of seemingly nowhere.

"Shit! Come on, let's run." Winry nodded in approval and began jogging along side him, her arm brushing his every now and then as they made their way through the town.

The feeling in his chest coiled tighter and Ed fought for concentration as Winry's fingers linked with his briefly before falling back with the momentum of her arm. Closing his eyes against the thoughts that rolled around in his head, Ed listened to the venomous feeling in his chest and moved farther aside from Winry.

Kick. Yell. Slam. Crash. Groan.

"Ed!" Winry was half worried and half laughing. Ed had run straight into a pile of wooden crates that lay in front of the local grocer's and now she couldn't catch sight of him inside the pile of shattered wood.

Ed's head swam as his sight was filled with wooden splinters and knots. "Uugh…" was his only reply to let Winry know he was at least alive. The wood in front of his face was lifted away and he was presented with a much better sight in his opinion. "Hello pretty angel…" Ed mumbled before falling into the now all too familiar blanket of darkness.

Winry blinked slowly at his response before she realized he seemed to be sleeping.

"Ed, don't be stupid, get up." Winry started to walk ahead of him with her ears trained meticulously onto the pile of wood. Not a single sound was made except for the small puff of air escaping Ed's lips everytime he breathed.

Running back to the pile and kneeling down, Winry began clearing away the wood before dragging Ed into the alley beside the store.

"You really are an idiot…I have no idea how you survived in another world long enough to come back to Amestris if you can't even live safely in this world fro your own clumsiness." She had meant to say it with a certain degree of malice in her voice, but it came out sounding a little more loving. She sighed and rested her head against the cold stone wall as her fingers stroked Ed's hair subconsciously.

Ed's world began to clear slightly when he felt warm hands stroking through his hair lovingly. For some reason, this both pleased and irritated him. Part of him expected to see a nurse cleaning his hair and another part of him expected to see the Colonel petting him like the dog of the military he was always supposed to have been.

Winry watched carefully as Ed sat up slowly before turning around to look at him. He blinked once. Twice. Three times, before speaking. "Win…ry?" He still seemed barely conscious. Was there such a thing as unconscious walking? His eyes widened and the anger shout the tore through his throat was enough to confirm that he was indeed not unconscious walking.

"Winry! What the hell is wrong with you! You're soaking wet, what happened to you!" Winry smiled despite the hard anger that Ed's eyes held. He was worried, that seemed so like him and yet it didn't. Everything seemed like that now. She looked down at the hands she now held folded in her lap.

The sound of shuffling and gravel sliding told Winry that Ed had gotten up. Red clouded her vision before Winry realized he had thrown his coat on her. "What..?"

"Put it on before you get sick." He looked away quickly so she wouldn't see the faint blush that tinted his cheeks and made up an excuse. "I don't want Auntie yelling at me, I've been in the hospital enough for the rest of the year." He kicked at a lose stone and followed it as it tumble into the street. "Let's go"

"But Ed…"

He turned to her with a warm and confident smile beaming at her. "I've been through worse, I don't get sick easily. Don't worry." He turned back around and walked ahead of her.

Running to catch up, Winry fell into pace beside him and wrapped the coat closer to her, inhaling deeply, before throwing half of it over Ed's head. "Don't be stupid."

He grinned at her and her heart felt like it was going to burst. She couldn't remember Ed smiling as much as he had since he had returned to Risembool, and she was happy that most of them were directed at her.

His apology went unnoticed and the couple fell into a comfortable silence.

Ed hesitantly slipped his flesh hand into her own before giving a stuttered explanation, "You seem cold still." Winry nodded, blushing. Winry also hadn't remembered blushing as much as she had since Ed returned to Risembool.

"This feels nice…" Winry whispered shyly. Ed could barely hear her, but decided she probably didn't really want him to. Nonetheless, he squeezed her hand a little tighter to let her know he agreed.

No, he didn't agree actually. It didn't feel nice.

Once Ed had gotten comfortable in his bed and watched the rain pelt his window mercilessly, Ed finally decided what it had felt like.

"That feeling…" Ed pouted slightly in concentration, just to make sure he was right. "It feels…right." Smiling self-consciously, Ed slipped farther down into the sheets and fell into probably one of the most restful slumbers he had experienced in a long time.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Opinions, Compliments, Criticism, Suggestions! Tell me what you think. Feedback is needed and loved!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	7. Spring: Flowers of Remembrance

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Spring: Flowers of Remembrance

Chapter 7

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Rain continued to fall from heaven, misting everything in a dull-grey tone. Energy was sapped away from everyone in the area that day and old joints, automail parts, leg stumps, arm stumps, arthritis and sore backs gave into the moist weather and brought pain to their owners.

Ed rolled out of bed _very_ slowly. :Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…" Gritting his teeth against the pain, Ed raised himself up onto his legs. He waited there for a moment and then began to move his automail leg carefully. A triumphant grin crossed his face and he marched out of his room.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! How am I supposed to finish my automail projects like this!" Winry's whining voice floated out of her room in utter misery.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

Winry looked to the teenager in the doorway with desperate eyes before quickly giving him a once over. "How's your automail?" Her voice was tentative; sometimes this was still a delicate subject with Ed.

"It's alright, I can walk perfectly. It's just my arm that's a little sore." His grin was prideful and began to march into her room when his leg abruptly buckled underneath him. "Ouch! Shit! You're a jinx." He landed with a thump on the floor. Now he had three parts hurting; his arm, his leg and his ass. Rubbing the latter of the three, Ed stumbled back to his feet and shuffled over to Winry's bed to sit beside her.

"I wish I could help with that, but unfortunately there's no real way to prevent that pain. My arm hurts as well."

"Your arm?" Ed asked, clearly puzzled. He looked down at her arm, it certainly wasn't automail and he didn't remember anything happening to it.

"Yup. My right one; the one I broke on the swing when I was little."

"That hurts too?"

"Mmhmm. I'm surprised you don't remember; it was on the old swing that we had attached to that big tree by the river."

Ed fought to remember before the memory came back to him. She had been reaching for something… "Weren't you trying to pick a flower or something out of the tree?"

Winry's eyes brightened at the memory, "Oh yeah! It was a big, pretty red one. I didn't get it though." She scrunched up her nose in mock disappointment.

"Yes you did." Ed wasn't looking at her anymore; he was looking off to his side whiel his hands played with her bedspread.

"I did?" Winry was pretty sure she remembered touching it, but not grabbing it. She had fallen right before she was about to.

"Yeah…don't you remember the night you came back from the hospital?" Ed felt nervous and giddy rolled into one and it was making his stomach do back flips.

Closing her eyes in concentration and making a low humming noise, Winry focused on the memory. With her eyes still closed she mumbled, "No, I don't remember going outside that night…"

Ed looked over at her and smothered the laugh that threatened to erupt in his throat. She had her head tilted to the side slightly, with her eyes closed tightly and her forehead wrinkled in her concentration. "You didn't go outside."

"Then how'd I get it!" Winry's lack of knowledge on the subject was really starting to tick her off and she glared at Ed heatedly.

Grinning evilly, Ed got up from the bed and headed out the door. He looked at her over his shoulder, "You have some really bad memory there, Win." He dashed down the stairs and her shoe soared through the air in his direction.

Winry sat there for a few more minutes before heading down after Ed.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

The rain had cleared up for the time being, but they were expecting more later that evening. Ed and Al were sparring outside in the backyard and Winry was helping her grandmother clean up the dishes from lunch.

"Granny…" Pinako rinsed the last plate and turned to look at her granddaughter who was sitting at the table, deep in thought. Sitting at the table to join her, Pinako nodded for Winry to continue her train of thought.

"Do you remember the day I broke my arm all those years ago?"

Pinako removed her pipe from her mouth in surprise; her granddaughter wasn't one to bring up the past at random moments. She nodded anyways.

"Do you remember why it broke?"

"Sure I do, what made you think of it?"

"Oh, well…Ed and I were talking about it this morning and he said that I got the flower I was reaching for. But I don't remember getting it. Am I wrong or have I really hit him over the head with my wrench too many times?" Winry tone hinted her amusement, but her eyes were serious.

"No, no. You did get the flower." Winry's eyes widened in amazement; half because Ed was actually right, and half because she had actually forgotten.

"Granny! I'm losing my memory! Granny! Call the doctor, this isn't good. Oh my God, what if I forget how to build automail! I'll pack my bags to go to the-" Winry stopped her frantic rush of words when her grandmother laughed so hard that she almost swallowed her pipe.

Coughing lightly, Pinako put down her pipe and cleared her throat. "Winry my dear, you aren't sick. People forget things all the time. Keep bothering Edward, I'm sure he'll tell you eventually."

Winry looked down at her folded hands in thought. '_But he looked to upset when I didn't seem to remember. He smiled, but his eyes…'_ Winry's thoughts were interrupted as the front door opened and Al stepped inside.

"Have fun?"

"Yes. Brother beat me again though. He's tougher when I'm not double his height." Winry's smile was enormous as she looked at Al. They had been through to much, yet sometimes it seemed like nothing changed at all.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed watched Alphonse go inside and decided to wait outside a while longer. Flopping down into the still-moist grass, Ed closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh scents of spring.

He had missed this so greatly during his time in Central and in the other world. It felt so good to me home.

'_Home…'_ The word had many meanings. For Ed, home was with family and friends. No, that wasn't exactly true; he had been in the other world with Al and had made friends but it still wasn't "home".

Rolling onto his side, Ed picked out a small, partially bloomed flower and began rolling the stem between his thumb and forefinger before rolling onto his back again.

"What is home…?"

"Right here you moron." Ed blinked rapidly as the smiling face of Pinako appeared above his head. He nodded absently; it really was home.

"I came here to talk to you about an important matter."

"What is it old woman?"

"The handsome Colonel called and left a message to the pipsqueak. He said that on the first of May there will be a farewell party held in your behalf from the military. Formal dress is required as well as a date."

"Auntie…Do I have to go?" Ed whined as he squirmed on the grass in discomfort. "I don't know anyone who I would go with as my date, I don't have any tuxedos or suits and there is no way in hell that I am dancing."

"Winry will be your date and Al will escort you two, the military gave you one hell of a pay off for the discovery and sealing of the gate so buy a damned tux with it, and you will dance because Winry will murder you if you don't."

Dammit, that woman had it all down. "Winry is my best friend so I won't be taking her with me, I hate clothes shopping and since Winry's not going I won't have to dance." Ed grinned at his logic.

"Suit yourself." Pinako turned on her heel and trudged back into the house,

'_She gave up too fast; she's up to something!'_ Ed struggled to get up and slipped on the wet grass before making a run for the door. "Hey Auntie-"

An unnaturally high-pitched squeal met Ed's ears before he even reached the porch steps and the door was flung open. "Ed! You're taking me to the military party! Thank you!" Ed stared in shock as she flung herself into his arms and continued squealing in delight.

Ed glared over Winry's shoulder at his grinning Aunt and brother. He was difinitely going to kill them. They won't see the sunrise tomorrow. Ed's head was crammed with ideas of murder when Al spoke up.

"Hey, Winry you don't have a dress fro that right? And brother doesn't have a tuxedo or a suit. You guys should go shopping for them soon.

Another squeal of delight erupted from the girl. "We have to go shopping for my dress and shoes…Oh and your tuxedo and shoes! This is going to be so much fun. And you better dance Ed!" Winry pulled away from Ed, her eyes shining in her happiness as she looked at Ed. "What's wrong?" Her eyes dulled a little and her smile faltered.

Ed smiled involuntarily. '_Damn her!'_ He shook his head and she leapt at him again, another squeal piercing the air. "What are you a pig? Stop squealing you freak."

His insult when unnoticed as Winry jumped into another breathless plan of what they should wear and whether or not they should match.

"Al, don't you need to go buy a suit as well?" Ed reached for the last resource he had before he would be drowned in Winry.

"Nope, Auntie Pinako bought it for me." Ed's jaw dropped as he looked at his Aunt and brother in shock. No, they weren't his Aunt and brother; they were monsters. Cruel monsters.

"You guys are evil…" He whined in defeat as Winry dragged him off down the road, waving to Al and her grandmother. Den trotted up to Ed and looked at him. "Don't look at me, you're probably in on this too." He muttered before turning his nose up, away from the dog. Den snorted and ran down the path, towards the river.

"Ed, you have your wallet right?"

"Help me…"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Four and a half hours, fifteen stores, half my wallet and not a single bite of food. I can't wait to go home…" Ed's hunger-induced craze had finally set in.

They were once again walking through the town and back home after a long day of shopping. Winry practically glowed with happiness. She had bought, well actually Ed had bought it for her, one of the most beautiful gowns she had ever seen. After making a quick phone call arrangement with Scheiska and Riza; Winry and Ed's purchases were sent to Central's Military HQ.

Although Ed would never admit it, Winry knew he had fun with her today. They had tried on dozens of outfits and made sure to make fun of one another as much as possible. They had even gone into some costume shops that they had never even known to exist in their tiny town of Risembool. Winry reminisced on all the amusing events that occurred while they were in town. A blush painted her cheeks and she looked over at Ed's zombie-like form to make sure he wasn't watching her.

There was one event in particular that Winry wanted to remember. They had gone into a wedding shop…

"_Hey Win, get a load of this one. Think you could breathe with all the frills?" Ed held up an incredibly ugly white dress with frills covering every other inch of the fabric._

_Winry made a fake gagging sound and they continued through the store. A shopping clerk came up to them and asked them if they needed help. Winry declined their offer before dragging Ed to a rack of silk dresses._

"_Ed! Look these dresses are so soft…and…kind of scandalous." Winry looked at an incredibly skimpy silk wedding dress. "Is this really a wedding store?" She whispered doubtfully to Ed who in turn doubled over in laughter._

_The clerk came up to them again and tapped Ed on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to intrude, but isn't it bad luck to have the groom present when the bride is picking a dress?" Winry looked from the appalled expression that Ed wore, to the nervous one the clerk possessed._

_Winry braced her heart for the heartbreaking denial Ed would portray before he stormed out the door. Holding her breath, Winry watched Ed expectantly. This was sure to be a big outburst; he was taking a long time to talk._

"_We…uh, we don't believe in that. Okay! Win let's go." Latching onto her hand, Ed yanked Winry from the rack of dresses and weaved them through the other various racks in the store towards the door._

"_Ed…" Winry started to explain to him that she didn't mind if he yelled at the clerk about how stupid she was to even consider that, but she knew she didn't really think that way and decided not to say anything at all._

_Ed suddenly stopped and dropped her hand. He didn't turn around to look at her, he just stood there. Winry waited for him to speak first as she kicked a pebble with the toe of her boot._

"_S-Sorry…I should have let you tell her to go stick a bridal magazine in her-" Ed didn't finish his sentence as Winry hit him over the head with the ever present wrench._

"_Don't be stupid, let's go." Winry walked ahead of Ed, humming lightly. She couldn't help but wonder if Ed would go shopping with her like this if they really were to be married._

Winry's blush strengthened as she once again played with the thought.

Ed broke out of his daze as he heard Winry giggling behind him. He stopped and turned to look at her. She was blushing and seemed to be lost in a daydream. For some reason, the thought of that Jonathon guy from the jewelry store popped into Ed's head, he quickly banished it before thoughts manifested in his mind.

"Hey Win…Winry? Winry!" She walked right past him, completely oblivious to where she was going. "WINRY!" She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Ed?" She looked at him in confusion, then looked around them. "Where are we?"

Ed looked around as well, until the landscape sunk in and became familiar. Turning around very slowly, Ed spotted a small pile of burned rubble behind them.

Winry followed his gaze and spotted a large tree. "Ed, look! It's the tree where I broke my arm." Winry walked ahead of Ed, completely oblivious to his inner battle to look away from the charred remains of his home.

'_No it's not. It's not my home.'_ Ed stared at Winry's back as she walked away from him. '_I have another home now.'_ Glancing one more time at the rubble, Ed chased after Winry. "Where are you going!"

Winry pointed to the tree in front of her before closing the distance between it's longest root and herself. When Ed finally caught up to her, she had just made it to the base of the tree.

"It's the tree." Winry looked at it's scarred bark lovingly and ran her fingertips over it.

"It's the flower…" Winry heard Ed mutter something and turned around to fin him gone.

"Ed?" Silence was her answer. "Ed? Where are you? Don't play hide and seek with me! I thought you were hungry!" She spun around in a circle, scanning the fields of grass for any trace of blonde hair and a red coat.

A soft rustling sound above Winry's head released Ed. Winry screamed as Ed's upside-down face appeared inches away from her own. He looked at her seriously before offering her a lopsided grin.

Winry giggled at the sight. Ed had a tree branched hooked under his knees and he hung upside down, his shirt obeying gravity to reveal heavily outlined muscles and toned skin. His bangs floated above his head and his braid fluttered in the wind.

"You're going to get a headache like that."

"I know, I just wanted to get something." Flipping out of the tree, Ed landed on his feet and started walking back down the hill. "Let's go home."

Winry stood there, looking at his back. '_He's changed again. I think I've fallen even harder fro him.'_ It took Winry a couple seconds to realize that Ed's back had steadily gotten smaller and smaller.

"Wait up! What did you get!" A wide grin was the only response she got.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry flopped onto her bed in exhaustion. Rubbing her slightly bloated stomach, Winry reflected on Ed's odd behavior since their return from shopping.

As soon as he got home, he went straight into his room and locked the door. Al had followed but came downstairs soon after saying that Ed refused to let him in, but he didn't sound upset.

When Ed finally emerged from his room, he threatened everyone, including Den, not to go into his room.

Rolling onto her side, Winry stared out her bedroom door; there was a sliver of light on the hallway floor. She shivered as her feet made contact with the chilly floor boards.

Sticking her head out her door, Winry saw Ed's bedroom door cracked open. She couldn't see anything except his dresser and his bedside table. She stepped back inside her room, but turned back when the light faded slightly.

Ed was standing in front of his dresser with his bare back to her; he wasn't wearing anything except his sleeping pants. He walked away from the dresser and didn't return for a few moments. Giving up, Winry headed back into her room.

Closing her eyes tightly, to ensure that she didn't get distracted by looking out into the hallway, Winry tried to fall asleep.

A soft creaking and the sound of footsteps made their way towards her room. Since she was half asleep anyways, Winry didn't acknowledge Ed's presence.

Instead of passing her room, Ed came into her room and walked to the side of her bed. He stood there, watching her sleep for a few moments. Winry was tempted to open her eyes and comment on the action, when he turned away from her.

Cracking one eye open, Winry watched as he very slowly brought something to his lips, placing a soft kiss to it, before placing it on her bedside table and leaving the room. Winry lay there in shock; was that really Ed?

Getting up slowly, Winry looked down at the small table beside her.

A large, beautiful red flower in full bloom looked up at Winry from between the mass of tools that littered the table's surface. A memory reappeared in her mind's eye as a young Ed handed her the flower she had been reaching for.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed had just gotten into a comfortable position on his bed when his door was thrown open and Winry jumped onto the bed. She looked at him happily for a second before trapping him in a fierce hug.

"W-Winry…?" Ed's mind was in shock; this girl was so...so...random!

"I remember…" Ed felt her breath tickle his ear as she whispered into his hair.

Slowly, he brought a single arm to drape across her back lightly and he relaxed into her embrace. "I told you so." He smirked against her shoulder and she pulled back enough to look him in the eyes.

"Do you remember what happened afterwards?" Ed's smirk vanished. Afterwards? When ever Ed brought back a memory, it was in his dreams. And they always contorted into a nightmare near the end. He wasn't really sure what had happened after he had given her the flower. Ed looked up at her expectantly.

Winry bent down and placed a soft kiss on Ed's cheek, just like she had all those years ago. The strange contrast of her lips and his skin shocked Ed into speechlessness and he barely noticed as Winry left the room just as abruptly as she had entered it.

Ed sat in shock. The memory finished itself for him.

_Ed cradled the flower in his hands as he burst through the door on his right and raced to the side of the young girl in the bed._

"_Ed? What are you doing here so late?" The little girl looked at him with wonder._

_Ed proudly thrust his outstretched arms under her nose and carefully opened the cage of his hands to reveal a beautiful red flower. The little girl looked up at Ed with admiration and squealed in delight before timidly asking, "Is it for me?"_

"_Yup." Ed couldn't keep the goofy smile off of his face as he watched her eyes sparkle in the dim light of her lamp._

_His smile stayed in place as she beckoned him towards her. Making a motion for him to bend towards her, the little girl, Winry, brought her face to his and planted a soft kiss on his cheek._

_Cheeks burning a dark crimson, Ed's goofy smile grew as he ran down the stairs and ran home. He stayed up in bed all night, staring out the window that granted him sight of the Rockbell house down the way. Little Ed had to get some sleep; he had to go out into town with his mother the next morning. But he didn't care, Cloud 9 was better than sleep anyways._

Ed's cheeks flamed a dark crimson and he lay in bed, wide awake. Sure, sleep was great. But Cloud 9 would always be better.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: I'm so happy with all the great reviews! I'm sorry I don't respond to them, and I'll try very hard to keep my promise for one chapter a day.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	8. Spring: The Wardrobe

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you sheepish grin.**

Seasons

Spring: The Alchemist, the Mechanic and the Wardrobe

Chapter 8

By: RomanceFanFicLover

"_Are you sure you guys can handle yourselves?" Pinako asked, the look of concern adorning her features having been meticulously placed there with practice in the bathroom mirror._

"_Yes Granny. It's fine! We're 18 and 19; I think we can manage cleaning the house by ourselves." Winry's reassuring smile never faltered as she looked her grandmother in the eyes._

_Studying her granddaughter's even stare, Pinako broke into a grin and called out to her escort. "Alphonse! We're leaving! Leave the pipsqueak alone!"_

_A muffled "What did you call me!" was heard from the upper level._

"_How long are you going to be gone, Granny?" Winry gazed at the floorboard which seemed incredibly interesting now._

"_Why do you ask?"_

_Hey, that wall over there looks cool too, "Oh, just wondering so we know how fast we have to cleanup." Back to the floor again; gee, that nail looks a little loose._

"_Well don't make more of a mess after you cleanup. And don't let the mushroom eat on the couch anymore. Actually, now that I think about it, you should also clean the-"_

"_Bye Granny! Can't wait 'till you come back! Bye!" Winry cut her grandmother off by waving frantically and practically shoving Al out the door before closing it swiftly._

_Staring at the swinging door ornament, then at each other, then at the now still ornament, Al and Pinako 'hmphed' and turned their backs to the door. "They sure wanted to be alone fast." Al grumbled and Pinako nodded before stepping off the porch._

That was how Winry and Ed had found themselves locked in an aggressive battle stance, brooms at ready.

Ed growled slightly and Winry narrowed her eyes every now and then. Ed's legs were starting to cramp form her awkward position. "Alright! Fine! I'll clean upstairs and you clean downstairs! I give up!" Ed exclaimed haughtily before shaking out his legs and thumping up the stairs to the sound of Winry's joyous laughter and victory song.

"It's her house, why doesn't she just do it…stupid mechanic…she should clean her own workroom…and her own room…I'm lucky that hag sleeps downstairs…" Ed continued his grumbling as he made his way through the hallway and into his own room first.

His room only took a total of 13 minutes to complete; he had to put away alchemy books, a few socks and some food crumbs. His next target was Al's room; it was better to stick to familiar territory first off.

Just as Ed had finished off Al's room he heard yelp and a colorful string of curses from downstairs. "What's wrong Win? Did the mop bite you?" he called down teasingly. When no answer was returned, Ed tried again. "Hey, Win?"

Ed started to panic and rushed to the top of the stairs only to skid to a halt before he slammed into Winry and sent her flying down the stairs.

With her back against the wall, a frustrated expression and an embarrassed blush, Winry looked up at Ed sweetly; too sweetly. "Hi Ed. Don't mind me I'm just…dusting the walls."

"With your back?" Ed cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

Winry nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh, Ms. Hughes taught me, so um…Just keep up the good work." Her nervous and rushed laughter made her extremely suspicious but Ed turned into Pinako's room anyways.

A slammed door and the click of a lock came from Winry's room and Ed just stood rooted to the spot in wonder. "Woman…" Ed muttered exasperatedly as he ent back to cleaning the room.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry pounced her dresser and pulled out a black skirt identical to the one she was currently 'wearing'. It had torn on a loose nail on the wall; there seemed to be a lot of them in her household.

"Bolts are better than nails anyways…" was all she managed to murmur as she struggled into her skirt. It was a bit shorter than the previous one, but it was still manageable.

She peeked out into the hallway and tiptoed back downstairs; hoping that even though she slammed the door, Ed wouldn't notice that she had run into her room.

Glaring at the nail in the wall, Winry went to fetch the spare toolbox they kept in the downstairs washroom; they always seemed to need spare sets. Brandishing a hammer as her tool, Winry approached the nail.

"It's you and me now, Chump. Get ready to lose!"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

A crashing sound and a screech once again came from downstairs and Ed was starting to worry. "Winry are you _sure_ you don't need help?"

"Yes!" Came the huffed response.

"Then can you NOT tear down the house!" Ed screamed at her from his current position cleaning under her bed.

"Stop sounding like Granny and clean!" Winry screamed in reply.

Muttering a few curses under his breath, Ed emerged from under the bed and turned on the closet; he could just picture himself buried in tools if he opened it. Slowly approaching it, as thought it were a deadly homunculi, Ed grabbed the handle and threw the sliding door open before running and plastering his back to the wall beside it.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a single thing dropped! Ed hesitated before taking a step in front of the closet; it was surprisingly clean. Ed grinned in triumph and set to cleaning out Winry's bedside table.

"Screwdriver…Hammer…bolt…screw…another couple bolts…pencil…broken pencil, that's garbage…paper, written on paper, blank paper, ripped paper; that's garbage…Blow torch!" Sitting back on his heels, Ed examined the tool in his hand. Yes, it was a blowtorch. "Machine freak…"

Ed opened the closet and placed the tools on an empty shelf near the bottom and turned back to the half-full table.

"Marker. Picture…hey! This is a picture of me and Al leaving Risembool. Wow that was…" Counting mentally, Ed closed his eyes in concentration trying to remember how old they had been. "Seven years ago…" Ed breathed in amazement. Sometimes it was hard to believe how much they had been through over the years.

Sighing softly, Ed continued rummaging through the drawer. The last item remaining inside and unchecked was a tiny red box. Ed eyed it longingly, he knew he shouldn't go through her things but it was _so_ tempting.

"Don't look Ed, don't look Ed, don't look Ed." As he repeated the mantra, his metal hand opened the box. "Well it wasn't my fault; it's technically not mine, so…" Ed grinned evilly and peered into the box.

A piece of red cloth lay in the box, completely untouched. It looked familiar to Ed and he searched the confines of his mind for a match.

A low growl rumbled through Ed's throat as he fought the temptation to call the Colonel and ask him to burn the offending cloth. That jeweler boy had a raggedy old handkerchief hanging out his pocket, and it was red. Tossing the box underneath Winry's bed, Ed pushed himself up and sat on the bed.

"Cleaning is so much work…" Ed whined to the bed. Stretching out, Ed made himself comfortable on Winry's bed. Yawning slightly Ed reassured himself with a "I won't be asleep for long" before closing his eyes and drifting off.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry sighed in relief; she was finally finished the living room. That only left cleaning the bathroom and repairing the hole in the wall she had made while fighting the stubborn nail.

She grimaced lightly as the eyed the gaping hole. "Now we have to go into town, and Granny didn't leave me any money…" Slumping her shoulders over, Winry dragged her feet across the room towards the kitchen table.

Throwing herself into the chair, Winry moped on the table. "Maybe we have some plaster downstairs…Or maybe-" The phone's shrill ring startled her from finishing her sentence. "I hope it's not Al and Granny…" Crossing her fingers, Winry picked up the phone on its second ring.

"Hello? Oh, hi Nelly…No I don't have anything planned tonight…I'm sorry I can't, I have Ed and Al over…Sure, you could come here then…Yes, a sleepover sounds fun…Truth or dare? I'm not so sure Ed and Al would play…Oh, Al has played already with you…" An evil glint washed over Winry's eyes as she hung up the phone.

"Ed! Hurry up and finish; we need to go out!" Waiting for a reply, Winry started to write a list of all the things they would need. "Drinks, Snacks, New batteries for flashlights and Cards…Maybe some other things I like, Ed! Hurry Up!"The unusually soft padding of Ed's feet on the stairs caused Winry to turn around.

The boxers he was wearing while cleaning were now dangerously low on his hips and gave too much to the imagination to wonder about. She tore her eyes away from there, and looked at his wrinkled shirt. He had one hand holding it up as he scratched his chest; granting Winry a full view of his muscles. His other hand rubbed his eyes furiously and his golden hair fell messily into his face. Winry's eyes had a will of their own and once again wandered south, where she could have sworn she saw some gold peeking out before his white shirt covered her view.

"Mhats fong Win…?" Ed's sentence was obscured by his yawn. "What's wrong Win? Why'd you call me?"

Snapping out of her daze, Winry's anger took over. "Edward Elric! Did you even clean or were you just sleeping!"

"I dunno…" Ed laughed nervously as he recognized the fire flaring in her eyes. "I mean, I did I swear, I just have to re-make your bed…" Yawn. "…and that's it. Don't worry."

Glaring at him accusingly, Winry shoved the shopping list in his hand and stuck her hand out. "Wallet."

"What! Are you nuts! I'm not giving you my wallet and letting you waltz into town!" He looked at her incredulously. "I'm going with you or you're not going at all." Snorting, Ed opened the fridge door and absently grabbed any carton.

Ed stopped mid-gulp as Winry looked at him triumphantly. "Mhat?" Her grin widened as Ed took another gulp of the drink; it was pretty good. Putting the carton back in the fridge, he turned to Winry. "What!"

"How come you like chocolate milk but you don't like milk?" Ed froze, petrified.

"Chocolate….Milk!" Eyes wide, Ed flung the refrigerator door open and grabbed at the carton. Upon reading 'Chocolate Milk' on the label, Ed nearly fainted. "It has milk…and it tastes good…"

"That's not the point. Hurry up and get dressed, we need to get some things for when Nelly comes over…"

"Nelly's coming over?"

"Yes, and we need to buy something for the wall." Winry made a dismissive wave with her hand towards the offending wall.

"What did you do!"

"Shut up! It had it coming!"

Ed looked at Winry dubiously. During times like these, it was better to just agree. "Yes, well um…I'm going to go get dressed." Taking another glance at the surely half-crazy girl, Ed all but ran up the stairs.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

When Pinako had called Winry made sure to inform her of the extra company. They were all set and ready for the night and now they just waited for Nelly to arrive.

Ed, Winry and Al. They sat side by side relaxing in the grass, just like they used to. Ed sported a lopsided smile, while Winry squirmed excitedly and Al grinned suspiciously.

Ed analyzed the smile his brother had and decided he was most difinitely planning something. So when Winry ran to meet up with Nelly, Ed made his attack, and it wasn't subtle.

"What are you planning?"

Al blinked innocently. "What?"

"What are you planning? I know that grin, it's the Colonel's grin. What are you planning?"

"You'll see." Was his only answer as Al got up to greet Nelly.

Getting up as well, Ed stumbled towards them in half-shock; he hadn't really expected his brother to be planning anything. After saying his hellos, Ed continued to glare at Al's back. "That kid hangs around the wrong people…"

"Hurry up Ed, don't be so slow!" Winry called to him from the front door.

She waited for him at the door, a happy smile plastered to her face. Ed couldn't help but feel guilt; she had to wait for him for so long, and she still does in some ways. Ed shook his head to clear his thoughts and bounded up the stairs towards her.

He reached out his flesh hand and placed it on her bare hip. The whoosh of air form her gasp tickled his ear as he passed by her very closely. He wasn't sure why he did it, he sort of needed the reassurance that she really was there, that she wouldn't pull away from him.

When he finally went into the living room, Winry's legs felt like jello. She noticed the look that Nelly and Al shared when she stumbled into the room and she also noticed Ed's extremely red face. Straightening herself, Winry looked at the occupants of the room defiantly. "What's with the cherry mask, Ed?"

"What do you mean cherry!"

"Oh, you know the very red, very _small_ fruit." Winry held back her smirk, his outburst was sure to distract the attention from Winry's inability to walk.

"Who are you calling short, I'm way taller than you!"

Nelly joined in, "Oh please! Al's still taller then you and you're supposed to be the older one."

"Why you little…" Ed almost practically shook with anger.

"If you want I could ask my dad to save some milk from our cows especially for you." Nelly pressed on as Winry and Al laughed at the scene.

"Hey that is a pretty good idea, brother. You could use the extra…um…'boost.'" Al added in slyly.

"Al, while you're sleeping I'm going to-" Ed's threat fell short as nose detected the large dinner Pinako placed on the table. "Eat!"

"You're going to what?" Confusion clouded everyone's eyes as Ed dashed into the kitchen and shortly after Pinako could be heard yelling.

"Ed! Get your hands off of that food, wait for the others! That military did you no good! Don't think I didn't see that! Drink your milk before you eat so you'll grow enough to actually reach that plate."

"What did you say you old hag!"

Nelly grinned at Winry, "Just like old times, ne?" Nodding happily, the girls linked arms and marched themselves to the table.

Al's mouth watered. His nose smelt all the spices, and yes even the slightly cinnamon smell of apple pie. Forcing back irrelevant tears, Al savored every step his bare feet took on the rough wooden floor and every delicious bite he took throughout dinner. Yes, it was difinitely just like old times.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Two apple pies and a tub of ice-cream later, Winry, Ed, Al and Nelly sat in a circle around a large glass bottle.

"What exactly is the bottle for?" Ed asked curiously.

"It's to see who gets dared and the dare is done on, brother."

"How would _you_ know?" Ed's suspicious tone floated through the now-silent air.

Al's mindless stuttering and embarrassed glow gave Ed the answer he needed. "When the hell did you play truth or dare! Where was I?"

"With Winry, as usual, brother." Al was more confident in his answer this time.

"Eh…?" was all Ed could say in response.

"Can we play already? You guys fight too much." Winry pouted in annoyance. Ed watched her; she's played too? With who? Ed swallowed the growl that formed in his throat.

"You've played this too! Am I the only one who doesn't know this game!"

"Ed we already explained the rules!"

Al and Nelly sighed in unison; the argument was just starting, they'd never play at this rate. Ed was quickly learning to dislike the idea of the game and Winry was only making it worse. Thinking quickly, Al made an offer to his brother.

"What if you dare first brother? You can pick whoever you want to dare." Considering the idea carefully, Ed nodded his agreement.

"Alright! Al: truth or dare?"

"Me! Why me!"

"Because you've already played it without me so now it's revenge. Now choose."

"Truth."

"Don't be a chicken!" Nelly elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

"Dare…?" He looked at his brother pleadingly.

The malicious gleam in Ed's eyes as he smirked at his brother was sure to mean misfortune for the younger Elric. "I dare you to kiss…" He was partially tempted to say Winry but a larger part of him protested the idea viciously. "…Den."

"What!" Horror embedded itself into Al's features. "Brother, don't be gross."

"A dare is a dare Al! Take it out get out of the game!" Grumbling angrily, Al called Den to him and kissed the dog's forehead.

"ON-HIS-MOUTH." Winry and Nelly giggled crazily into the pillows they were lying on as Al hesitantly grabbed the oblivious Den's head.

Sputtering and coughing was the result as Den gladly returned the kiss and almost suffocated Al with his tongue. "Disgusting! Winry! Get him off me!" Once he had successfully re-brushed his teeth and washed his face, Al mumbled something about cats being more civil than dogs.

"Okay Al, spin the bottle." Nelly pointed to the untouched bottle and Al spun it quickly.

The dares continued far into the night and it finally came to the point where everyone was vying for some much needed rest.

"One last dare, and then it's bed time." Everyone agreed to Nelly's suggestion. "I went last, so I'll choose the dare. Um…Oh got one!" She grinned evilly and scanned the three faces that looked at her eagerly.

"Tell us already!" Ed yelled in his crankiness. He was _really_ tired. He never even used to read this late into the night.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your automail in a knot."

"He better not." Winry glared accusingly at Ed who grinned innocently and shifted away a few inches.

Spinning the bottle lightly, Nelly watched intently as it landed on Ed who was still bickering with Winry. "Ed!" He blinked at her in surprise. "I dare you to be locked in the large, old wardrobe in the attic with whoever the bottle lands on next."

"What! Why! I need sleep too you know." Ed's attempts were futile and the bottle was firmly pushed into his hand. "Fine…"

All eyes were on the bottle as it spun around and around and around…and around. "Ed, why'd you spin it so hard?" Winry whined in complaint.

"Shut up." They continued to watch as it slowed down and finally came to a stop.

"Winry and Ed, get into that wardrobe now!" Nelly exclaimed excitedly and clapped happily. Grabbing a hold of Winry's forearm and pulling her up the stairs to the attic was easy when she was just sitting there in shock.

Ed, was another story though. Al almost had to pick up his brother to get him upstairs. "Al, come one man. I need sleep, don't do this to me!"

"You can sleep in there, brother." Al stated simply, ignoring Ed's attempts to back out of the dare,

"But-"

"See brother, it's really big and it's empty. Just get in." Al pointed to the large cabinet in the far corner of the attic.

"It looks scary…"

"What?"

Ed spoke louder, despite his embarrassment. "I'm not going, it looks scary in there." Winry nodded her agreement and Nelly scoffed.

"You were in the military, just get in the damn thing."

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Ed…are you awake…?" Winry asked into the darkness. A muffled grunt was her answer. "Can we talk or something." This time a snort and some shuffling was her answer as Ed's face appeared in the darkness.

"Why?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Please?" Her eyes were large and round, Ed realized.

'_She must be scared or something.'_ Shifting his body so that he was sitting beside her, Ed once again marveled at the space inside the wardrobe. "Why the hell do you guys have something this huge in here anyways?" He gestured to the spacious inside of the cabinet.

"It was Granny's. Someone special gave it to her, so she kept it. It was too big for any of the rooms so we keep it here." Winry was also amazed at the size of the thing. They both fit comfortably, although rather closely, beside each other on the side of it and could stretch out vertically down the length of it if they wanted.

They fell into an uneasy silence. For some reason, they seemed closer to each other than they were in the beginning. And all of a sudden, the very spacious wardrobe seemed a little smaller. "Um…do you want to sleep now?" Ed croaked out.

And a soft "mmhmm" was all Winry dared to let out until Ed started to move towards the other end of the wardrobe. "Um, could you stay here? Beside me?"

Even in the darkness she saw him look at her questioningly. "I'm sort of scared, and I feel better when you're close to me." She figured it was better to admit it now rather then lose sleep while she was in here.

Clearing his throat, Ed managed a strangled "um, sure" before sliding into a slightly more comfortable position beside her. Winry slid down beside him and tentatively placed her head on his metal shoulder.

"Goodnight Ed." Her whisper seemed louder in the quiet air.

Strangely, Ed wasn't really tired anymore. "Are you uncomfortable on the metal?" He was surprised at himself; he shouldn't care if she was comfortable, and especially not if it had to do with the automail she seemed to love so damn much. But he asked anyways and was glad he asked when he felt her nod against him.

"Kind of, yeah." She looked up at him sheepishly. She must have also realized it was a little strange for him to ask.

"You can, uh, put your head on my chest if you'd like." When Winry placed her head on his bare chest, he wasn't sure if he should be deliriously happy with himself or intent on suicide for the torture he was putting himself through.

Winry hesitantly placed her hand on his chest beside her face. His skin was so warm and surprisingly soft. She blinked back the hot tears that pricked her eyes when she opened her eyes to be greeted with a close-up view of his battle scars. Sighing softly, Winry closed her eyes again but opened them wide when Ed wrapped his automail arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She looked up at him curiously; he was clearly looking everywhere but her. She smiled into his chest and closed her eyes again. Before she knew it, sleep was beginning to blur the edges of her thoughts; his heartbeat was like a natural lullaby to her.

Ed let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding when Winry relaxed into his tighter embrace. He closed him eyes and tried to concentrate on his heartbeat under her hand. Forcing his eyes open again, Ed mentally slapped himself for his stupidity; his heart was on the left side, not the right.

Ed stared down at the girl beside him. Her heartbeat was so strong, so full of life. He had missed that life; the life he grew up with, and the life he had left behind.

He grimaced into the darkness; he seemed to have one more thing to be guilty after the other one just passed. He knew he deserved it though. She had always been there waiting for him. She never complained, well only when his automail was destroyed, and she always welcomed them with open arms, one always wielding a wrench in his general direction.

When they had come back to Amestris all those months ago she hadn't asked what they did or how they did it to get back here, she just hugged each of them and celebrated their return.

Even now, she still waited for them. Himself especially, he had recently noticed. She waited for him to break out of his thoughts and noticed her, waited for him to wake up in the morning and waited for him to go to bed in the evening. She was always there, always watching, always waiting.

For what exactly, he wasn't sure of anymore. First it was for their safe return, but now that she had that she still seems to be waiting.

Ed looked down at the blonde head that rested on his chest. He was pretty damn sure she was asleep, but he couldn't be absolutely positive. He risked it anyways and wrapped his flesh hand around the one the left lip on his chest.

Winry's half-asleep daze was interrupted as Ed's warm hand intertwined with her own. She looked up at him through her bangs, not daring to move her head. She closed her eyes again as he brought his head down to hers and kissed the crown of her head softly. It was such a small gesture, so innocent, yet it seemed to affectionate as well.

She was about to speak, but thought better of it as he began to whisper into her hair.

"Winry Rockbell, thank you for waiting for me and I'm sorry for making you wait. I love you Winry Rockbell. But you'll never hear it from me." Ed buried his nose into her hair and breathed in her intoxicating scent. Before he realized what was happening, hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

He blinked in surprise. He hadn't cried since that Barry the Chopper incident. Nonetheless, he turned his body slightly towards her and held her more tightly against him as he wept into her hair. It felt so good, yet hurt so much to let out all his emotions.

Ed closed his eyes when his tears finally subsided and sighed softly. He felt so exhausted from his sudden wash of emotions. Eyes dropping heavily, he pulled Winry closer to him still, and drifted off into a blank, yet refreshing, dream.

Winry was completely shocked. Ed had said he loved her. He had acknowledged her selfless waiting for him. He had _cried_, on _her_! Everything Winry wanted from Ed seemed to happen in that wooden wardrobe.

She grinned to herself as his body slumped in sleep. Ed may have said that she didn't hear it from him. But she'd be damned if she never tried to make him say it to her again.

Winry Rockbell had always loved Edward Elric, and now she knows he loved her too.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Next chapter should be a military party! Yay! See Ed dancing:P**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	9. Spring: Teachers & Students

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Spring: Teachers, Students & Everything In Between

Chapter 9

By: RomanceFanFicLover

The night Ed told Winry the reason why he didn't want to go to Central for his "Farewell Party", Ed was pretty sure he was going to die of embarrassment for just telling her. But oh, how he was wrong.

"Y-You don't know how to dance….?" Winry clapped her hand against her mouth to smother her giggles.

Ed remained completely still with his arms crossed angrily across his bare chest, legs crossed "Indian-style" on his bed and his nose turned up into the air in defiance as a fierce blush coated his cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry…It's not funny. I know it's not funny. B-But…" Winry wiped a tear forming in the corner of her eye and swallowed the rest of her laughter. "It's just that, Al knows how to dance, doesn't he?"

Ed's eye twitched involuntarily. "Al…Al what?" Turning his head towards Winry, Ed focused his dark glare on her. "How do you know Al knows how to dance?"

"Before he went through the gate-thing we all went to the Fall Festival- You've heard of it right?" Another twitch of his eye and a shake of the head allowed Winry to continue. "Oh, well Risembool started a festival that happens every fall. Sort of a harvest festival, and there's a night of dancing. So…I saw Al dance….?" Ed's glare darkened and Winry felt nervous.

"Is he a good dancer?" Eye twitch.

"Yes…?" Winry felt _very_ nervous now. Oh how she wished she had her trusty wrench right now.

"Have you dance with him?" Ed's look turned darker and the twitching time doubled.

"No I-" Winry took a step back and bumped into the dresser. Something metal brushed her fingertips and she grabbed it.

"Then how do you know he's a good dancer! Huh! Explain _that_ one!" Ed's grin was part triumphant, part angry and a pinch crazy as he glared at Winry's horror struck and confused face.

Brandishing a silver candleholder, Winry leered at Ed. "Sit down shrimp-boy and listen up!" With a gulp and an 'eep' sound, Ed resettled onto the bed and looked at Winry obediently. "We have two weeks before we have to travel to Central. Every day in that time span I am going to _try_ to teach you to dance."

"What do you mean _try_! You have that little faith in me!" Ed started to raise off the bed again but with a quick sweeping motion with the candleholder in front of his face brought him back down.

"Got that? Every day. And it adapts to my schedule not your, so be there or be doomed." With another threatening swoosh of the metal weapon she grasped in her right hand, Winry turned and left the room.

Ed flung himself into the bed in relief. He felt dizzy from the fear of getting the design of the candlestick holder embedded into his skull.

"We're starting tomorrow by the way!" Winry shouted before closing her door.

Ed shot up into a sitting position at her voice and flopped back down again at the sound of her door closing. "Shit…I'm whipped."

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

The first dance lesson almost made Ed want to immediately back out on the whole idea.

He had sat outside on Winry's porch reading books on casual dancing and formal dancing for six hours straight. Every time he had finished a book a second one was added onto the pile in front of him and Winry just looked at him expectantly.

The second day had now rolled around but it was basically the same thing. Two hours had past and he had already sped through five books.

He watched her from over the top of one of the formal dancing books. When her eyes slid in his direction, his eyes would slide down to the text he was supposed to be reading. Eventually Winry spoke up. "Ed you've been staring at the same page for ten minutes. You're a child prodigy, a genius, and you can't read a page on dancing?"

Ed wrinkled his nose in distaste as Winry raised her eyebrows accusingly. "I never said I couldn't, I just don't want to!" Ed fought the urge to scurry under a rock at the sight of the death glare Winry had directed onto him.

"You're going to learn to dance whether you like it or not. So read." Winry looked away from him, signaling the end of the conversation.

Ed knew she was enjoying this; she had to be. '_She's never _this_ mean. Either she's enjoying this, it's her time of the month or she's got a stick up her ass that needs to be pulled out.'_

Winry smirked as Ed continued to glare at her from over the top of his book. She knew she was going a little over the top with the commanding thing but it was just so much fun. Not to mention it was payback for scaring her the night he had told her that he couldn't dance.

Winry almost choked on her laughter. Ed, the fullmetal alchemist, the child prodigy, the genius could not dance. And, he asked Winry Rockbell for help. Well, technically he didn't _ask_ it was more like it was forced onto him but he was objecting…that much.

Her giggling was uncontrollable this time and she doubled over in laughter on the pile of books she was sitting on. Winry gasped as she felt a book slip out from under her and the entire tower fell. It was Ed's turn to laugh now.

He stopped short as she came back up from the avalanche of books incredibly angered. Ed blinked at her as she glared at the wall in front of her pointlessly. Ed snickered softly and Winry's evil stare landed on him. Shivering involuntarily, Ed looked away quickly.

"You." Ed looked back at Winry's disgruntled face and pointed at himself innocently. "Yes, you. Come with me. You're carrying our patio set up from the basement." With a huff Winry stood up and kicked one of the books into the bushes beside the patio before going into the house.

"Why!"

"Consider it training. Hurry up; I have a wrench in my pocket."

Ed swallowed the growing uneasiness and stood up to follow her. Yes, Ed did certainly not like these dance lessons so far.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

It was now into the second week of the dance lessons and they had only started working on actual dancing and not just the technique. Their dance floor was the grass in front of the Rockbell home and a small tape player was their source of music.

Ed found his gold eyes to be locked onto the blue eyes that hovered above him, music floating in the air around them.

"Ed…" Said person nodded. "You're heavy." With that said, Winry proceeded to drop Ed ungracefully.

"Ow…" was all Ed muttered as he rubbed his now-sore head. "See? We could have avoided this if you didn't insist on taking the lead. There was no need to dip me…" Ed continued to grumble his complaints under his breath while Winry stared into space, deep in thought.

"I know what's wrong!" Winry exclaimed jubilantly as Ed looked up at her with interest. She turned around to face him, her eyes sparkling because of her new discovery. "You should take the lead! That way this wouldn't happen so much!"

Ed's jaw dropped as he simply sat there, looking at her numbly before flopping back into the grass and groaning in annoyance. Winry wrinkled her nose in concentration and turned her back to him again, focusing her mind on what she should teach him next.

"Winry…you're not helping me by just standing there." Winry shushed him angrily and continued her staring contest with the tree in front of her. "Winry…" Another loud shushing sound was his only answer.

Muttering curses under his breath, Ed got up and dusted the dirt from his pants before marching up to Winry's back and tapping her on the shoulder. Another shushing sound and a 'shoo' hand signal brought back Ed's eye twitch.

"Winry Rockbell…" Ed smirked as she turned to him, but it soon fled his face when she spoke.

"Ed, I'm trying to think here!" Her hair slapped him in the face as she spun back around.

Growling, Ed grabbed her right hand with his left and spun her around. Her shocked expression calmed his growl and he brought his right arm around her waist, pulling her lightly to him but leaving a respectable six or seven inches between them.

"Ed, what are you doing?" her voice was only a whisper as she questioned him.

Ed struggled with the urge to whisper back, "This is how they do it in the movies right?"

Winry was at a loss for words at Ed's sudden actions but nodded and placed her left hand on his shoulder. "Yep, like this."

Waiting for the right beat, Ed took the lead and clumsily began dancing with the mechanic. He winced the couple times that he stepped on her feet but she didn't say anything and just moved her feet to a different position.

In ten minutes, Ed had the dance memorized and was gracefully guiding Winry across her yard in a formal slow dance.

On a return to the opposite side of the backyard the music stopped and Ed began to notice that they had attracted a small crowd. "Hey Win…?" A soft humming sound was Ed's answer. "Who are these people…?" Ed asked nervously. He was feeling extremely self-conscious with one arm wrapped around the girl he was previously dancing with.

"Neighbors…I think." Winry dropped her hand from Ed's shoulder as he stepped away from her and let go of her hand and waist.

Soft clapping started at one end of the line of viewers, then erupted into a full applaud. "What the hell!" was Ed's thank you to the attention and Winry fought the urge to also yell. None of their audience moved. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" Quickly, Ed alchemized a metal hammer from the ground. That certainly sent the crowd scurrying back to their homes.

Ed smirked victoriously and turned his grin towards Winry's bemused expression. "What's wrong?" He watched as Winry slowly tore her eyes away from the horizon.

"What time is it, Ed?" He fumbled for his pocket watch and checked the time.

"Six o'clock..." He continued to watch as her confusion melted into horror. "What's wrong?"

"Those were my automail clients!" Winry was sure she was going to faint.

Morning rolled around and Winry still hadn't awoken from her shock-induced 'sleep'.

Ed sat on the couch in the living room, staring at his metal foot and his flesh foot, moving one and then the other. "Winry…!" He called over his shoulder for the sixth time that morning.

"Squirt, calling her at random times isn't going to wake her up." Pinako commented coolly.

"I know that!" Ed shot back at her, glaring at her back as she worked on a customer's automail.

"Then why are you doing it?" Another cool and collected comment.

"Because I thought I heard something…" Ed muttered defensively, intensifying his glare. Pinako turned around and stared at him for a while. "What!" Her gaze drifted towards the stairs, then snapped back to him. Stairs…Ed, stairs…Ed, stairs… "Alright! I'll go wake her up!"

Trudging up the stairs and dragging himself to Winry's bedroom door, Ed hesitated as he raised his fist to knock. "This is ridiculous; she can wake up on her own time." Ed turned his back to the door and was about to stalk away when a loud creak came from behind him, he turned in time to see Winry hurrying out her door and straight into him.

In a writhing mass of limbs Ed groaned in pain at the sudden collision of his head on the wall and Winry whimpered in response to the pain that greeted her late morning waking.

"Ed…?" Winry looked up at Ed's glowing face. "Ed?" Winry felt her face glow as well. "What are you doing here! Get off me!" Before giving him a chance to get off her, Winry pulled out one of her ever present tools and jabbed Ed in his side.

"Ow! What the hell, it was your fault and I'm not even on you!" Ed pinched Winry's arm in return.

"_My_ fault! Who told you to just stand in front of my room!" A punch this time.

"Who told you to come _catapulting _out of your room!" Lemon-blonde hair was firmly tugged in come back.

"Well you shouldn't have been there!" A golden braid was yanked in the opposite direction of the lemon-blonde hair.

"And you shouldn't have run out like that!" His hand grabbed her forearm, squeezing the muscle painfully.

"This is your fault!" her unoccupied hand found his throat and pinched the sensitive muscle there.

"Yours!"

"Yours!"

"Both! Stop bickering and come down for breakfast!" Two blonde heads snapped in the direction of the cranky voice. "You're causing a commotion, so eat and get out! I need peace and quiet while I'm working and you two scared away the customers yesterday. You're lucky I'm even feeding you!"

Ed and Winry stayed still for a while before looking at each other and jumping away in opposite directions. Glares are exchanged and the slamming of a door and the marching of angry feet echo into the house.

Pinako looked up from the stove. "Why is every morning like this, Al? Why can't Ed be more civilized like you?" She sighed and lifted the frying pan from the stove.

"I ask myself that question every day, Auntie." Al sighed dramatically as he put down the newspaper and reached for the bacon Pinako had just placed on the table.

"I'M RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW!" Ed shouted; braid flailing with his arms in the wake of his irritation.

"We know." The synchronized sigh smothered the alchemist's reply to the comments and he sat down angrily.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Ah! Ed, get off my foot!"

"Sorry, it's not my fault. Maybe if you actually taught me to dance…" Ed said haughtily.

Growling under her breath Winry yanked her foot out form under his and nursed it quietly. "You're heavy for a tiny guy."

"WHAT!" His nostrils flared as he glared down at her angrily. "That's going too far, machine freak!"

"Speak for yourself alchemy geek," was Winry's sweet response.

Locked in a death glare, Ed and Winry didn't notice Al approaching them until he spoke. "What happened to the dance lessons?" He asked innocently, looking from one to the other.

"She can't teach!"

"He's un-teachable!"

Glares were once again exchanged and Al sighed. He needed to motivate his brother to try not to argue. Nothing particular came to mind at first, and he simply stood there watching the two go at each other's throats. '_They seem to have a lot of tension with each other_…' Al thought absently. Maybe they needed just a little more tension until they finally gave in…?

"Okay brother, I'll dance with Winry for an example and you watch." Burying his evil grin deep into the celebrating confines of his mind, Al offered his hand to Winry gracefully.

Al blotted out the quiet snarling Ed was emitting as he grasped Winry's hand. He also ignored the warning look that was thrown his way as he walked around Winry to be in a position where he could wrap his other arm around her waist.

The waltz began and Ed scowled at the dancing couple. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. '_I'm going to rip Al's hands off for dancing with her. I'm going to gouge out his eyes for looking at her. No, I changed my mind; I'm going to simply murder him.'_

Finally finding the strength to look away, Ed stared at the grass below him instead. The grass looked extremely interesting all of a sudden, he had noticed. A heavy hand on his shoulder caused Ed to look up questioningly, but his expression soon changed to one of intent to kill.

Al chuckled nervously, "Brother, that's going to happen if you don't learn to dance. Someone else will ask Winry to dance and she'll probably accept." He grinned encouragingly at his brother.

"Hey, Al?" Ed grinned up at Al.

"Yes brother?"

"Thanks…but…I'm going to murder you anyways."

Winry watched in confusion as Ed chased Al around the house screaming "stop running and it won't be so bad when I get to you" while Al shouted back "put down the wrench and I'll think about it" over his shoulder.

"Why does he have my wrench…?" She thought aloud and continued to watch the transition between the two. "ED! Don't dent my wrench!"

"Stop screeching like a banshee then!" Ed roared at her as he flailed the wrench around crazily as he turned the corner around the house.

"What did you call me!" Winry joined into the chase. "Come back here micro-boy!"

"Who are you calling a tiny bug that escapes the wrath of a shoe because he's so small that he fits in the grooves and can't get squashed!" Ed bellowed in anger as the chase reversed with Winry running form Ed, Ed chasing Winry and Al chasing Ed, trying to get him to stop chasing Winry.

Pinako watched from the balcony in amusement. "Some things never change" she laughed into the growing darkness.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry stirred from her sleep at the sound of soft music drifting upstairs from the living room. Rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes, she dragged her legs from her sheets and travel towards the source of the sound.

"Ed…?" She mumbled, still not really sure whether or not she was really asleep due to the sight in front of her.

Ed was listening to waltzing music as he sat on the floor, surrounded by the books on dancing that he had refused to read the week before. He still hadn't noticed her, so Winry decided to just watch.

She was partially happy that he wasn't noticing her presence for two reasons; she could watch him act naturally, and it showed that he was comfortable enough in her home that he could let his guard down completely.

A cough tickled her throat and Winry struggled with it in silence until she decided coughing would be inevitable. She backed up a few steps, ruffled her hair, lowered her eyelids and coughed before stepping back into the doorway. "Ed…?" she mumbled, louder than the first time when she actually had been still groggy with sleep. "What are you doing up?"

For a second, Ed looked as thought he were going to try to cover up all the books and turn off the music before she noticed, but instead he nodded towards the books and murmured, "Studying" before turning his head back to the texts in the book.

"I thought you said that it would be better if you actually danced."

"I thought you said I was un-teachable anyways."

Winry looked at the back of Ed's head for a moment before snorting in reply and scuffling over to the kitchen. Ed watched her pass by and disappear into the kitchen before returning to the paragraph he had been reading.

Winry reappeared with a tall glass of milk occupying her hands and her mouth firmly clamped onto the edge of the glass as she gulped it down. Ed grimaced as he eyed the glass and closed the book he had been studying from.

"What's wrong?" Winry gurgled out from behind the glass.

"I can't concentrate with that devil-liquid near me." Ed grumbled stubbornly as he put the books away.

Winry choked on her drink and came up sputtering for air before she rushed into the kitchen again. When she re-emerged, the glass was nowhere in sight and she rubbed her throat slowly.

"Told you it was the devil-liquid from hell..." Ed muttered nonchalantly as he tapped his foot to the music.

With a pout on her face, Winry moved towards the couch Ed was currently occupying. "Dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance with me."

"Why?"

"Dance. With. Me."

With a sigh, Ed got up and grabbed her hand; he wasn't going to get another answer besides that until he did what she said. Once he had given in, Winry gestured for him to follow her as she unlocked the front door and stepped out into the cool night air. Her thin, white nightgown fluttered around her legs playfully in the wind and she smiled at him gently before retaking his hand into hers.

Their arms fell into pace and their mind's swam with the music. Ed wasn't sure what to do; he didn't know the waltz very well and that was the music that was playing.

Seeing his discomfort, Winry squeezed his shoulder gently to get his attention and began with the simple 1, 2, 3 rhythm of the dance. He was looking at his feet in concentration and kept fumbling whenever they turned or reversed.

"Ed." He still didn't look up. "Ed." He nodded, his head still down. "Head up." He obeyed and made eye contact with her. "Good!" She smiled proudly at her 'student'.

He smiled in return and the dance clumsily continued, Ed's eyes still traveling to his shoes. Ed decided to focus his eyes on Winry's feet instead, and tried to copy her movements but stopped altogether when he realized she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, even in the cold and moist night air.

"Winry." She hummed a response and looked up at him. "Go inside, right now." His tone was angry, although he didn't mean it to be, and he ruined the mood of the entire night.

"What?" Gruff disappointment shone through her voice as she looked at him through confused sapphire eyes. "Why?"

"You're going to get sick. I don't want you to get sick." Ed stated firmly before gently pulling her arm towards the door. "We can dance inside."

"But it's so nice outside Ed…!" Winry whined as he began to walk up the porch steps. She was heavily disappointed that he had broken out of the trance he was in; he had looked so determined, yet peaceful in his concentration.

"Nice! It's cold outside, and you only have that scrap of material on…in public!" Winry yanked her arm away from him and looked at him defiantly. Now he had gone and done it! Ed groaned inwardly as he turned around to face her scowling face.

"What's that supposed to mean!" she huffed haughtily, her cheeks flushed from the cool air.

"Winry-"

"Don't 'Winry' me, what's that supposed to mean? Are you implying something about the way I dress? Since when did you start caring about me anyways?" Winry wasn't sure why she was getting angry, or why she was raising her voice, or why tears were starting to rise in her eyes, they just did.

She felt stressed all of a sudden and her throat clenched in an attempt not to cry. She looked away from him, pretending to scowl into the darkness. But Ed knew better.

"Look Winry-"

"I said don't 'Winry' me."

"Look…Miss." He looked at her pointedly but she turned further away from him. "It's cold outside and I don't want you getting sick before the party in Central. Nothing more, alright?" Winry knew he had mean to say it in a comforting way, but the way he had said "nothing more, alright?" hurt her.

"Alright… I'm just going to…to stay out here a little longer." She knew her voice had shook, she had tried her best to keep it even but her tears finally broke to the surface in objection. She heard him step towards her, but her heart called out to her, telling her she needed to know something. Know why her heart was starting to ache at the thought of Central.

"Winry I-"

"Ed? Can I ask you a serious question?"

Ed nodded before realizing she couldn't see him, and grunted in response; the only sound he managed to get around the sudden lump in his throat.

"When we go back to Central…are you going to come back home with us afterwards? Or are you going to travel again? And if you do, are you going to take Al? Would you take me? Can you even tell me or were you planning to just suddenly leave like before? Will you actually write? How long will you be gone? Will you come for automail repairs? Are you going to fight? Are you-?" Winry squeaked in surprise as a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

'_Is he really going to hold me? Is he going to tell me how he feels? Is he-?'_

Suddenly, Ed hoisted her up and planted her firmly over his shoulder. Winry was caught between sighing in disappointment and laughing at her own stupidity. "Ed! Put me down! I thought we were supposed to go inside!" Ed brought them inside, but only long enough to grab his coat and close the door. "Ed! Where are we going?" Winry cried out laughing at her own expense as his coat was thrown onto her roughly.

"Around."

"Like this!" She looked over her shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of his face instead o the moving ground. "ED! Don't ignore me!"

He stopped walking and stood in silence. "Hey, Win…?"

"Yes?"

"Hold on." Ed began to spin around slowly, but picked up speed at the sound of Winry's delighted laughter. He only stopped when she pounded her fists into his back, choking on her laughter. The action was meant to distract Winry from her question but he could hardly contain his laughter himself and kept walking to his original destination.

Several minutes later, Winry found herself in a tree overlooking the whole town of Risembool. She looked at the scene wide-eyed before connecting the length of her sight with the height needed to see that far and she squealed in fear.

"Ed!" She glanced around, he had disappeared. "Ed…!" She called out, a little more fearfully this time.

"Stop screeching, you're going to wake up the neighborhood screaming my name like that."

Winry stared at him in disbelief. "What!"

Ed almost fell out of the tree, "I didn't mean it _that_ way!" His face was horror-stricken but his eyes danced in amusement.

She sighed into the light wind as she took in the scenic view she had from the height she was at. Another question popped into her head and she whipped around to face Ed frantically. "Ed, how'd we get up here!"

Looking up at her through the branches, Ed smirked with one of those 'it's my little secret' looks. "I don't know. Be careful you don't fall, twisting around like that. We're pretty damn high up."

"You're part monkey."

"What!"

"You're part monkey, you have to be."

"What are you rambling about!"

"I said you're part monkey. You're always leaping around all over the place and now you climb trees like it's nothing. You're a monkey."

"No I'm not, I'm athletic and built. Don't call me a tiny animal!"

"Monkeys aren't all tiny you moron, stop stereotyping things you don't know about!"

They glared at each other through the branches again in a silent staring contest until Ed sighed in defeat and looked away. "Most of them are…" He muttered stubbornly, but Winry ignored him.

"What do you think is going to happen at the party in Central?" she asked dreamily.

"Don't know, maybe a few speeches and some dancing. A lot of alcohol probably." Winry turned to look at him, an excited glint in her eyes. "I'll be damned if I let you have any though."

Winry pouted, "Why?"

"Because! I don't need my mechanic drunk. What if I break my automail kicking the Colonel's ass? Then what? Huh?"

Winry stared at him for a second then looked away quickly, but not quick enough for Ed not to catch the faint glimmer of hurt shining in her eyes.

"And…" She looked back at him dully, as if he was suddenly boring her. "I don't want anything to…" Ed looked up at her helplessly. He couldn't say 'my best friend' because he considered her more, and he couldn't say 'the woman I love' because she'd just laugh at him.

"To…?" Winry urged him on, curiously.

"T-To…to…to…" Ed stuttered feebly, he felt like an idiot.

"I love the tune you're singing but I'd like you to finish your sentence." She grinned down at him like a fox and laughed lightly when he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Forget it…" he avoided her eyes, hoping she'd let the conversation drop. He looked back a moment later when he heard shuffling and leaves rustling. "Winry!" He watched in terror as she attempted to climb down to the branch he was on.

Winry ignored his shocked yelp as she tried very hard not to break her neck, but not grant him a glimpse of the blue panties she had on under the nightgown. She almost screamed at the strange sensation of being lifted as she expected to fall as Ed hoisted her up onto the branch again and settled in behind her. She clutched to the tree branch; obviously from fear.

"Do you want to get down?" She shook her head in a negative. He watched her as she stayed frozen on the branch. "Do you need to pee?"

"What?" She half turned to him, a light flush coating her cheeks in her annoyance. "Don't be ridiculous."

"How? Most people do pee you know." He smiled slyly and continued to watch her clutch to the bark of the tree. Minutes ticked away as she stayed like that. "Are you tired?"

"A little." She murmured softly, and Ed noticed that she was starting to sway slightly.

"Don't fall asleep like that you idiot!" he exclaimed as she swayed farther off to the side. She nodded her head, but he wasn't exactly sure is she had heard him or if she was falling asleep. "Come on, let's go." He reached out to wrap his hand around her arm when her voice stopped him.

"Ed…?" Winry mumbled, and continued after a second's pause. "Can we stay up here? Just for a while longer?" She nodded to herself, as though agreeing to her own idea. She turned and smiled lightly at him as she waited for his decision.

After a moment, Ed nodded and pulled her flush against his chest. "Sit here so you don't fall." He knew it was sort of obvious, but he decided to say it anyways. She had to understand that he didn't _want_ to be close to her, that it was for her protection. He also had to make himself understand that, and it helped when it was said aloud.

Her head fell back onto his shoulder and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, thanks. You're the most important person in the world to me, you know?"

They sat like that in silence for awhile until Ed demanded that they return home so that she could sleep properly. When they arrived home, and Winry was safe in her bed, Ed stayed up in bed thinking; he knew they had gotten closer, and he knew that he loved her. But what he didn't know was if he wanted to love her. He sighed in self-pity before trying once more to drift into sleep. The questions she had asked ran through his head over and over and over until his mind shut down from exhaustion, allowing his body the rest it so dearly needed.

He couldn't answer her questions and he couldn't answer his own questions. What kind of a genius was he?

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Well, you didn't see it, but I hope you tried to imagine it. I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated and always read gratefully.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	10. Spring: Decisions, Decisions

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Spring: Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 10

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Winry stared at her friend in shock. Her mind felt like it had been blown to pieces and now she had to struggle on her hands and knees to find all the odds and ends of thoughts.

"It's not that hard to believe Winry! He found a dangerous gate to another world, went through it, came back, went through it again and sealed it, then came back again. Not to mention he also discovered numerous faults in the military and the horror behind the Philosopher's Stone. It's no wonder he's getting such a huge money reward and Ed's been through a lot. He deserves an early retirement."

"B-But, it's…he's…rich…retiring…" Continuing to open and close her mouth, Winry sort of resembled a fish.

"I believe what she's trying to say is something like 'But I can't believe Ed is rich and is retiring at the age of 19! Yet he's so sho-'"

"Finish your sentence Colonel, and I will alchemize your ass."

"Na-ah-ah! That's Fuhrer now. That little stunt you pulled with coming through that gate was very beneficial. Not to mention the fact that I single handedly closed the gate on this side." Roy Mustang grinned smugly from behind his desk.

"It's not all that hard to do Mustang. I had to do it _without_ alchemy."

The females in the room watched the boasting match as though it were tennis. First Ed served and Roy responded, then Roy served and Ed responded until it winding down into a glaring contest.

"He's gotten better at that." Riza commented on Ed's steady glare.

"I guess you could say he practices at home…" Winry laughed lightly.

Riza studied Winry form the corner of her eye. It was obvious that the two teens had grown closer since his return to Amestris, but how close was still a mystery. Everyone who knew the two knew right away that there was something there, but whether it was their long friendship or something more was harder to interpret.

If you knew them well enough you could see the admiration and devotion Winry held for Ed and the possessive need to protect Winry that Ed clung to. Whether that was love or a strong, friendly bond would have to be decided by them.

"There are other lengths we can measu-"

"Fuhrer!" Riza exclaimed, suddenly brought out of thought. "Perhaps we should head into town now?"

Thinking it over for a moment, Roy agreed but Ed remained rooted to the spot; revolted at the idea of what Mustang had been implying just seconds before.

"You sicken me." Ed grumbled irritably.

"Ah, so you're admitting defeat."

"Don't make me show you who the winner is…!"

Winry, Riza and Scheiska exchanged glances before ushering the men out of the room and into the main corridors. Winry and Ed had planned to go out into town for the day and when Roy caught wind of the plan he insisted on coming along to protect Winry, seeing as "young children aren't good escorts". So naturally, Riza had decided to come as well.

"Are you sure you can't break away from work long enough to come to town with us?" Winry pleaded with the bookworm.

"I wouldn't hold it against you, you know." Roy suggested casually.

"You're a horrible Fuhrer." Ed mumbled from Winry's side.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you from _way_ down there!" Roy shouted to the ground.

Ed walked up to Roy and stood in front of him staring directly ahead, which happened to be near his chin. Everyone watched as he slowly brought his hand up to his head and laid it flat against his hair.

"Ed…?" Winry questioned his actions silently and the three women once again exchanged nervous glances.

Ed narrowed his eyes for a moment then sharply threw his hand forward in a straight line from his head to the Fuhrer's nose. Roy yelped in pain and crouched on the floor cradling his injured nose in his hands.

"I'm not that much shorter than you." Ed tossed back coolly as he marched out of the building with Winry trailing behind him angrily.

"Stupid brat…" Roy mumbled into his hands.

"Serves you right, sir." Riza glared at her superior.

"I don't want to go into town with that child anymore…"

"He's almost 20, sir."

"Stop ruining my fun!" Roy pouted as he straightened himself and walked after the two young blondes ahead of them. "Shall we go?"

Riza rolled her eyes and sighed softly as he walked past her; it seemed as though maturity didn't always accumulate with age.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry clung to Ed's arm as she dragged him from store window to store window, searching for something that might catch her eye. Roy and Riza trailed not too far behind, analyzing the couple and coming to deductions of their own.

"Personally, I believe that she's just in it for the money and he's conspiring to trick her into wearing a miniskirt for him." Roy whispered in conclusion. He nodded satisfactory as she seemed to process this thought in her head. He bent his head obediently when she gestured for him to come closer.

"You're a moron." Riza whispered back and slammed the end of her gun against the top of his head. "You'll never change."

"Come on guys! You'll fall behind if you keep bickering like that!" Winry called, waving happily.

Ed winced away from her and stared at her in disbelief, "You're one to talk! You never stop arguing!"

"Well isn't this interesting…?" Roy muttered in amusement, snaking closer to the scene with Riza hot on his trail.

"You're just upset because you couldn't see over that fence back there to look at that girl." She threw back composedly.

"What are you talking about! Oh, you're just jealous aren't you" Ed mocked her in defiance, successfully breaking her cool composure.

Nostrils flared and hair flailing wildly, Winry spun around to face him. Angry melted into confusion and confusion melted into sadness. Eyes made of water, filled to the brim with emotions, glared into concerned and surprised golden orbs.

"Ed…" Winry snarled murderously.

"Kidding…?" Taking a few steps back, Ed found himself pressed against a shop window.

"Let's go in this store! And you can make up your cruelness to me by buying me lots and lots of clothes!" Winry squealed happily and she grabbed his hand and swung him through the open door and into the boutique.

Roy stared, wide eyed. "She's worse then you…"

"Pardon me, sir?"

"Oh nothing…" Giggling nervously, Roy hurried into the shop after them; the click of a loaded gun being his sudden motivation.

Staring at the changing room curtains, Ed didn't bother to focus on the debate that Roy and Riza were engrossed in. His mind was too busy, very bust indeed. Winry had reacted so strongly to what he had said.

"_Oh, you're just jealous aren't you?"_

"Why'd I say that…?" Ed mumbled under his breath, dejected over his own stupidity. He tore himself out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar, sweet tone. "What? Sorry I didn't hear you?"

"What do you think?" Winry spun around in a slow circle, the flirty blue skirt she wore swishing in her self-created wind. "Isn't it nice? And this silk shirt is so nice too…" she looked down at her clothes dreamily, but pouted abruptly and rushed back into the dressing room.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked when she had returned, the clothes she had been admiring minutes before now tossed carelessly in the corner of her changing booth.

"Oh, nothing." Winry lied politely, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. She knew he didn't buy it enough to not suspect anything but she also knew that he'd buy it enough to drop the topic. When Ed shrugged and finally turned around, she glanced back longingly at the clothes piled on the floor; they were so expensive, she would feel like she was using him if she asked for it.

"Why...?" Spinning to face him, Winry stared in shock at his slightly disappointed expression. "Why are you lying to me, Win?"

"Oh, a liar!" Winry flinched away from the loud black-haired man that appeared beside her. "Tsk tsk tsk. You shouldn't lie to your lover. It comes back to bite you."

"L-L…Lover!" Ed stuttered in anger, choking back the urge to murder the Fuhrer where he stood. "I'm going to murder you."

"Ah! But you didn't deny it!"

"Why you little-!"

"See!" Roy laughed happily as he trotted away from the fuming blonde. "Hey! Watch where you swing that thing! I'm needed back at HQ!"

"I doubt that!" Ed roared as he lunged at the Fuhrer once again.

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I try this on?" Riza asked eagerly from a corner of the store.

"Uh…sure." Roy blinked at Riza before turning and exchanging blinks with Ed. "So…Where were we?" Grinning like a fox, he leapt away from Ed's fist and raced out of the store.

Ed chased after him but soon reappeared in the doorway. "Win, pick out what you want to buy. I'll be back, but I can't promise that bastard will be."

"What's wrong ultra-midget? Can't make it over the doorstep?"

"I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR GUTS OUT YOU BASTARD!"

"I wish they weren't so public with their threats, Ed could get fined for that." Riza shook her head disapprovingly. "Come on Miss Rockbell; let's see what we can get to rack up their state alchemist bills, shall we?"

Winry shuffled her feet nervously and shook her head in a negative. "No, it's alright. I think I'm alright."

"Feeling guilty?" Winry's head snapped up in surprise. "It's alright, the kid loves you. He won't mind."

"H-He what!" Winry stared at the woman blankly. She had to be kidding, right? How would she know!

Riza looked at her knowingly. "I asked him about three years ago and all he could do was sputter helplessly and blush bright enough to match his coat. That's enough of an answer I believe." The older blonde winked at her and gestured towards a rack of clothes beside her. "Shall we look through these together?"

Winry nodded enthusiastically; anything to get her mind off that incredible tidbit of information. It was confirmed! Ed really did love her!

Pouting slightly, Winry tried to beat away the question that lingered in her head as she rummaged through the fine silk shirts. _'Then why won't he say something to me?'_

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Chasing Roy to the edge of town, Ed decided it was time to head back to the store where he had left the deadly mechanic.

He paused for a moment, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Mustang really runs like a Mustang." Ed huffed out haughtily.

"Glad you noticed." And equally sweaty and flushed face appeared beside his own, bent over in the same awkward position.

"I'll kill you eventually." Roy nodded in response and the two sluggishly started to make their way back to the boutique.

When they stopped to buy bottles of water, Roy leaned a bent elbow onto Ed's shoulder and asked gruffly, "You love her don't you?"

Ed spewed his cool drink onto the shopkeeper in shock, coughing out his apology and hastening his pace out into the street. "I-I…N-no…" He knew his voice shook, he could feel it quiver in his throat and out his lips and he grimaced at his weakness.

"It's alright. I'll tell you a secret." Looking left and right, then apparently deciding it was safe to talk, Roy bent next to Ed's ear. "Riza and I want to have a baby. Besides Black Hayate, that is."

Ed watched Roy get back up and stare into the distance blissfully. Even though he knew it was coming, he couldn't believe that Riza had actually settled down with this chump. "You're lying."

Flashing out his hands, Roy showed off the gold bands that adorned both his ring fingers. Gaping at the sight, Ed regained his composure and stood up as well. "Isn't it only supposed to be on one hand?"

Roy nodded before chuckling lightly and turned his face slightly towards Ed. "She still doesn't trust me with women." Nodding in agreement, Ed started walking up the street again.

"They're probably waiting for us."

"You never did answer me."

Glaring over his shoulder at the older man, Ed sighed in defeat and grumbled a low "What do you think?" before marching away from the victorious laughter that insisted on following him.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry sighed contentedly into the night air. So far, the night had been amazing; almost like a fairytale ball. Ed had picked her up from her hotel room and escorted her outside to a car. Usually they would walk everywhere, even for formal events such as these, so the car ride was seen as a treat for Winry.

They had stopped outside the back of a house that was unfamiliar to Winry, but Ed assured her that she would know where they were when she stepped inside. She had reached for the car handle so she could get out, but a gloved hand on her bare hand stopped her.

She looked up at Ed questioningly and he squeezed her hand lightly before handing her a thin blue colored box. "What's this?" she asked, hesitant to take it.

"A gift, a thank you for always being there for me. Always waiting for me." Ed smiled at her and got out of the car as Winry sat inside staring at the blue box. She reached for it hesitantly but Ed's voice stopped her. "Don't open it until we get inside."

His voice was muffled through the car door but cleared up at the end as he opened her door for her. Blushing lightly, Winry took his hand politely and stepped out of the car. "Thank you, I will."

When Winry stepped through the old wooden door, she was greeted with the sight of a warm, welcoming kitchen and Gracia Hughes dressed up and ready to go to the party.

With a warm smile she beckoned for them to follow her into the other room. Winry was surprised when Ed had offered her his arm, his face glowing with a happy smile.

'_He's really happy.'_ Winry thought, a smile creeping onto her face.

They were ushered into the living room where a small table and two chairs were set up. It took a while for Winry to realize that it was for a small dinner that certainly looked romantic, whether or not it was intended to be that way was less obvious.

The meal was homemade by Gracia and Winry was delighted that all the dishes were her favorites. She knew that Mrs. Hughes did not know her favorites, so she guessed it was Ed's doing. Looking at the golden haired man from the edge of her vision, Winry admired his white suit. It had a gold shirt inside and a matching gold tie; this was what inspired Winry's choice of outfit. Glancing down at her own white and gold gown, Winry couldn't help but smile.

"What's got you so happy?" Ed grinned at her and she smiled back.

"You." Winry giggled at the surprised expression that immediately flew onto Ed's face and the rosy blush that followed.

"Me?" He repeated, just to make sure.

"Yes, you." He nodded and smiled a little brighter, looking down at his meal to avoid her eyes. Winry, however, stared at him openly, admiring him for all he was. The three words 'I love you' were on the tip of her tongue and she was sure she was about to blurt them out when the grandfather clock struck seven.

"Time to go. Are you finished?" He gestured politely to the dished that lay on the table and, at her nod of confirmation, got up from the table. "Let's head out then."

The trip to the party was silent and rather dull until Winry reached out and grabbed a hole of Ed's hand. He sat rigidly for a few moments before relaxing and squeezing her hand in return. The atmosphere cleared slightly and the silence that took over was more of a companionable one.

Upon arrival, Winry almost fainted from the shock. The entire military building was alit with sparkling lights and music streamed out of the open windows.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Ed muttered in awe. Winry simply nodded dumbly and he pulled her towards the doors. "Let's get this dancing thing over with, shall we?" His remark was flippant but his smile showed otherwise.

"Yep!" Winry grinned up at him lovingly, she hoped that he saw it in her eyes, but he looked away and lead her inside.

For the first half of the party, speeches were given and introductions were made to Winry. She felt proud during this time, since Ed referred to her as his 'strong and smart childhood friend…and mechanic.' It was a large improvement from the dismissive introductions he used to make. Ed really had grown up over the years, and Winry was proud to have witnessed the change.

When the music started, and people took to the dance floor, Ed was hesitant to dance and asked Winry if they could go get some drinks first. Minutes after he headed off to get drinks, he was dragged back to her by the Fuhrer and then they were both dragged onto the dance floor afterwards.

"Enjoy the springtime of your lives, tell each other some secrets." Was the only thing he said as he nudged Winry onto the dance floor and shoved Ed onto it. The action was acknowledged with a cold glare from Ed's side and a threatening leer from Roy's.

Lucky for Ed, the music that was provided wasn't the waltz but instead a slow and elegant rhythm. Tentatively, Winry took the still glaring alchemist's hand and turned him to face her. When she had acquired his attention, she placed her other hand on his shoulder.

Taking a hint, Ed brought her closer with his right hand, by placing it on the small of her back. He nodded slightly and took the first step, just as he had always done when they practiced; it was almost as though he was warning her that he was about to step, he had gotten used to doing it after he almost sprained her toe from stepping on it.

The dance had started out just like all the other ones, simple and practiced. But, to Winry's surprise, Ed had learned some dance moves and had apparently been saving them until that moment.

He spun her gently and when she had returned to him, he pulled her a few inches closer to him. It was hard to notice, but he still did it. Winry tried not to be stupid and squeal in excitement, but she couldn't keep the happy giggle from spurting form her lips.

He smiled down at her and tried it again, his eyes lighting up at her overjoyed reaction as her dress swished elegantly around her legs. By the end of the second song, Winry was close enough to rest her head on his shoulder without craning her neck forward.

Ed swallowed the sigh that formed in his mouth as Winry's head fit perfectly against his shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her body against his and the pulse of her heart in her hand. He wrapped his fingers tighter around her own, drawing her slightly closer to him. He could feel her heartbeat on his chest now, it was beating within the beats of his own heart.

Winry could feel the beat of his heart against her. It was strong and powerful, just like him. She concentrated her breathing and got their heartbeats to match. It hurt a little to hold her breath for so long, but she smiled nonetheless.

Ed bent his head slightly and whispered softly into her ear, "Thank you for teaching me to dance, Win." She nodded into his shoulder and whispered a 'you're welcome' in return.

Lifting his lips from her ear, but keeping his head bent close to hers, Ed concentrated on the beat of their hearts and the beat of the music. It seemed to flow well together. Even the clock that chimed loudly overhead beat in time with everything. It all seemed to perfect, Ed barely even noticed the people beginning to leave the party.

"Ed…" Winry murmured close to his ear. He nodded and her hair tickled him as it came in contact with his cheek. "I have a confession to make…"

Ed misplaced his right foot and his left foot came dangerously close to her right foot. Trying very hard to ignore the dread that pooled in the pit of his stomach, Ed regained his previous pace and nodded into her hair again.

Winry noticed his fumble in the dance, but didn't mention anything. He was tenser now, and pulled an inch of two away from her. She gulped down the nervous lump in her throat. She hoped she wouldn't ruin everything with this, but it just seemed needed.

She was quiet, too quiet. The dread that pooled into his stomach now started to rumble and make waves that splashed against the side of his stomach. It was nearly making him nauseous. The music seemed to have drowned out and the only thing Ed could hear was the loud thump of their hearts and the gentle wisps of breath that escaped them.

"Ed…A long time ago…" She paused hesitantly, her voice shaking. Did she really want to do this? Was she doing the right thing?

Ed's heartbeat pounded in his ears, so loud he was sure that the whole room could hear it as well.

"…A long time ago…I fell in love with you…"

Ed held his breath. A long time ago? Did that mean she had fallen out of love as well? Was she telling him that she didn't want him near her? That tonight hadn't impressed her?

"..And everyone told me to give up when you went through the gate again, that you were dead…" Winry paused again as Ed's gloved hands gripped her bare hands harshly, unconsciously.

She gasped softly as his right hand moved from the small of her back to her opposite hip, pulling her closer to him again. He almost had her in a death grip, as though she'd slip away at any moment. "…But I didn't give up, I waited, and you finally came home. I never stopped loving you, Edward Elric, and I never will."

His grip loosened but hers tightened. He was pulling away. Why? Was he going to tell her that he loved her as well? Did she give him the courage to, as he had done for her?

Ed looked at Winry in amazement. She had loved him all along, and she had never once doubted him. This girl, this woman, was someone who he did not deserve. He was a sinner, a stupid man. He hadn't wanted to be like his father, yet he was. He had left the woman he loved for alchemy, and it had hurt her.

Returning to the warmth of her body, Ed held back the tears of self-hate that threatened to overflow from his eyes. He was too weak for her, if she asked he would stay by her side forever. But it would be better for her if he didn't, so he needed to be stronger. He needed to distance himself from her.

Ed decided that night, that Winry Rockbell was better off without someone like Edward Elric. The day they were to return to Risembool, Ed would return his ticket and see Winry off. He would stay in Central, away from her.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Reviews are valued and they encourage me to update. Thank you to all the reviewers!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	11. Summer: Consequences of Stupidity

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Summer: Consequences of Stupidity

Chapter 11

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Ed lay on the soft hotel room bed, the heat from the fresh summer day beating down on him in the form of sunlight. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, ignoring the heat; he had been doing it for the past two days. Just lying there, and maybe eating or stretching every now and then.

Roy watched from the doorway; Ed had left the door unlocked, he never left the door unlocked in the middle of the night. That left the Fuhrer with one conclusion: Edward Elric was going through '_that'_ time of male adolescence.

"Oh, Edo!" Roy called into the room happily. His grin faded when Ed barely even stirred on the bed. "It's rude to ignore your guest."

"I didn't invite you in, therefore you aren't my guest." Ed lolled his head over to the side, blank eyes staring at the Fuhrer coldly.

Watching Ed's reactions carefully, Roy started talking. "You look like you haven't been sleeping the past two days." Ed nodded earnestly. "Why?"

"Thinking." He wasn't lying, Roy noted. Maybe it wasn't those kind of dreams after all.

Nodding quietly to himself, Roy thought his next statement over in his head before speaking softly. "You look worse than Havoc when he's been dumped." Ed flinched visibly. Jackpot. "So what happened between you and Miss Rockbell?"

"Nothing." Ed snapped fiercely, partially lifting himself off the bed to glare at the Fuhrer; Roy had hit a sore nerve.

"Come on now, if you don't tell me how am I supposed to help you?"

"I don't need your help, I'll sort this out on my own…suffer the consequences of my actions…"

"OH MY GAWD!" Roy screamed as he stared at Ed with wide eyes.

"What!" Ed eyed Roy nervously; he was getting that weird look in his eyes.

"YOU DIDN'T!"

"What are you babbling about?"

"YOU GOT MISS ROCKBELL PREGNANT AND YOU SENT HER HOME IN SHAME!"

A thick silence fell over the two as Ed stared at the Flame Alchemist, completely dumbstruck. "I-….WHAT!"

Riza winced out in the hall at the sound of the millions of Ishvaran and English curses that Ed placed on the Fuhrer. Peeking her head through the doorway, she noted Ed's angry flush and Roy's nervous laughter. Sighing softly and shaking her head, Riza returned to her position in the hallway.

"I can't believe you said that…" Ed muttered, now that he had calmed down.

"Well you wouldn't tell me what was wrong! It wasn't my fault!" Roy whined, nursing the bump that sprouted on his head. "You're so cruel sometimes Fullmetal. You shouldn't treat your superiors like that."

"Then don't make ridiculous assumptions about your underlings." Ed snapped viciously at him. "Get out."

"But we just started bonding; don't you want my advice on women?" Roy grinned as he readjusted his military uniform and straightened himself out.

Grabbing to object closest to him, which happened to be a vase, Ed flung it in the Flame Alchemist's general direction and smirked in satisfaction at the alarmed yelp and smashing of ceramic against the wall.

Minutes later, the door closed and Ed rolled over again, staring at the blue and yellow vase that lay broken on the floor. '_Broken blue and yellow…'_ Ed winced at his own thoughts; he was constantly reminding himself of the broken and betrayed blue eyes that stared up at him through yellow strands of hair to bid him goodbye.

Getting up, Ed headed towards the living room that was attached to the bedroom; he wanted to get away from anything that reminded him of her. Stepping out into the bright room discouraged Ed, but he pulled the blinds shut and settled into the red couch anyways.

"Winry…" That was all he could think about. Her name, her face, her hair, her hands, her eyes…the eyes that looked at him with such grief. She hadn't objected when Ed had insisted he stay in Central. He had said that he was sick of Risembool, that there was nothing good enough for him there.

The moment those words spilled from his lips, he felt incredibly stupid. The whole purpose of this was to keep _her_ away from _him_ because _he_ wasn't good enough for _her_. Not the other goddamn way around. It had been two days since he had left her and Al at the train station and she might as well had not left, she was basically there haunting him anyways.

Everything about her seemed to be burned into Ed's mind so well now that he could create millions of her and have every inch of every single one exactly like Winry. Well almost, he didn't know…well…_all_ of her.

Shaking those images out of his head, Ed focused on his heartbeat, trying desperately to catch up on some much needed rest. A loud creak and a string of familiar sounding curses shook Ed from his newly acquired sleep. His sleep-ridden eyes lazily outlined the figure of a young woman…in overalls…and a tube top…with long bangs coming down beside her face.

"WINRY!" Ed shot up into a sitting position on the couch, staring wide-eyed at the doorway. She was just there. He was certain she was there. She had stumbled into the doorway and when he noticed her, she left. "Winry!"

Jumping off the couch and racing to the door, Ed looked back and forth across the hallway. Nothing. Not a single person.

"Winry…?" His hoarse voice whispered to the empty hallway before heartbreaking sobs echoed through the carpeted hall in replacement.

"Riza, did you hear that?" Roy turned near the end of the hall.

"It sounded like Ed" she confirmed before poking her head out into the empty hallway. "Edward!"

Riza watched as he strangled out a whisper and slumped to the ground in tears. Snapping out of her daze, Riza knelt next to the state alchemist. "Roy!" He appeared by her side. "Make a phone call to Risembool, this is ridiculous." Nodding, Roy opened the emergency phone protector in the hallway and dialed the well-known number.

"Hello, Rockbell Automail." A soft voice answered the phone. It was the voice of someone who had been crying.

"Hello, is this Miss Rockbell? Winry?"

"Roy?" Winry's voice perked up slightly in surprise.

Glancing at the young man, still shaking with sobs, Roy continued. "Ed is…sort of in trouble. Could you make an emergency trip down to Central immediately? We'll pay the ticket expenses." A particularly loud wail and scream of 'Winry' seemed to have caught the girl's attention.

"Of course! What's wrong!" Her voice was much stronger, although a hint of panic was sneaking into her voice.

"I'm not sure; I'll explain when you get here. Please hurry, he's even harder to handle when he's upset." Hanging up the phone, Roy made his way over to the two blondes, wrestling for control.

Riza yelped in pain as Ed yanked her hair and shoved her away from him. "Get away from me!" A slap ricocheted through the now-quiet hallway and Riza looked up to see Roy's hand raised and Ed cradling his red cheek.

Ed took in a shaky breath as the slap gave him support to gain a little control of himself. Looking up through his bangs at Riza and Roy, then down at his tear soaked shirt and pants. "I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…"

Roy turned when the blonde muttered an apology and proceeded to struggle to his feet, fresh tears streaming down his bruised cheek. "Ed, you're a smart man. I know you are. So why are you being so idiotic?" Roy scolded harshly. Riza placed her hand on his arm reassuringly.

"I-I don't know." Squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that wouldn't stop, Ed dropped back down to his knees. "I don't know…It just…It just hurts, so much." Chuckling harshly, Ed leaned back against the wall. "I'm pathetic."

"No you're not; you're an idiot in love. Go wash yourself up. You'll be having a visitor tonight." Ed nodded numbly and dragged himself back into the room. "Don't hesitate to call if you need something." Roy called out before the door snapped quietly shut.

Sliding down the locked door, Ed broke down into tears again. Everything felt so wrong! So, so wrong! "I need her…" Ed realized solemnly. Nodding to himself, Ed got up and headed into the washroom, he had a lot of cleaning up to do.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry fidgeted nervously in the leather seat in the very warm, very small car that Roy and Riza were taking her to Edward's hotel in.

Twisting her black skirt in her fists, Winry stared out the window nervously. The last time she had seen Ed, he had treated her less than kindly. She knew he had issues with sharing his emotions, but did he have to be such a JERK!

The Flame Alchemist watched in amusement as the blue-eyed woman's emotions swirled between nervousness to depression to anger. Roy smirked as anger seeped further into her expression; this was what he was hoping for.

The car ride was silent and it only fed wood to the fire of Winry's anger. When the car approached the front door of the building Winry didn't hesitate to jump out despite the fact that the car was still in motion. "Miss Rockbell!" was shouted out behind her, but Winry didn't miss a beat as she leapt up the steps, two at a time and stormed towards the information desk.

"What room is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, staying in!" Winry demanded as Roy came jogging to her side.

"Oh Fuhrer, you're with this girl? Edward Elric's room is on the fifth floor, room number 299. He was asked to not be-."

"Thanks, Lady!" Winry waved to the desk clerk and pressed the elevator button repeatedly and impatiently. "Come on, come on, come on…" she muttered, her brows furrowing in the pressure of her pent up anger.

The elevator crept up each floor slowly until the fifth light lit up and the doors creaked open. Fighting her way through the barely-open doors, Winry ran down the hallway in search of the door number.

"289….291…293…295…297…299!" Placing her hand on the knob and twisting it while slamming her shoulder against the white wood, Winry barged into the room and headed for the door with a light on under it. "Edward Elric! You are a total jerk!" Winry pointed at the half-naked Elric who glanced at her over his shoulder; one hand holding a cup to the mouth that held a toothbrush, and the other hand holding up a small white towel around his waist.

"Winry…?" Ed mumbled around the toothbrush, eyes wide in disbelief. Time slowed as the cup dropped to the ground and water spilled across the floor, forgotten.

Winry's anger instantly flew away from her as she stared into his golden eyes, full of emotion and full to the brim with tears. "W-Winry…?" She watched as his rough, flesh hand reached for her face tentatively. When she didn't pull away, he reached more confidently until their skin made contact with each other.

Ed stood there, one arm stretched out with his hand placed softly on the girl's cheek and the other arm still clutching the thin towel that clung to his hips desperately. He wasn't sure yet, he had to be sure. Taking a step towards her, Ed stared into the blue eyes he had been so used to seeing, that he had missed so much. His body was inches from hers, his mouth inched from hers.

Winry stayed perfectly still; Ed was so close to her, so very close. She could feel his breath tickling her lips and the extra warmth of his body after his hot bath heated her skin. "Ed…" She whispered just as his lips reached out to her own.

Ed wasn't sure what he was doing; he was supposed to be more careful, he wasn't supposed to kiss her. But oh, how he enjoyed it. Her soft lips were so inviting and the slight coolness of her hands from the early summer night air contrasted powerfully with the heat that was emitted from his shoulder and neck.

Winry's thoughts were lost to her; sure it wasn't her actual first kiss, but it was her first meaningful kiss and that meant a lot. Her head swam with his heat and she desperately tried to grasp the anger that had helped level her so many times before. She sighed, half in relief and half in loss as Ed stepped away from her reluctantly.

"Ed…"

He avoided her eyes, looking down at the towel that was still in the death grip of his right hand. Tucking the end of the towel into the other side, he secured it enough to have both arms free as he turned to face Winry's wrath.

"W-What…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LEAVING ME ON A TRAIN TO RISEMBOOL ONLY TO MAKE ME COME ALL THE WAY BACK! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?" Winry screamed at the top of her lungs and pulling out her favorite weapon.

"I NEVER TOLD YOU TO COME BACK!" Ed countered as he ducked a swing of the metal wrench that Winry flailed towards him. Her aim had gotten better.

"WELL WAILING MY NAME INTO THE HALLWAY SURE AS HELL COUNTS!" Winry jabbed back, taking another swing at the golden head.

"Y-You…? The Fuhrer…?" Metal connected with bone and Ed fell to the ground groaning. "Ow…"

You stupid, stupid…jerk!" Winry sobbed angrily and Ed looked up at her through his bangs.

"Winry I'm- OW! Cut it out with that damn thing I'm trying to apologize!"

"YOU STUPID, ULTRA-SMALL MIDGET! STUPID LITTLE JERK! YOU TINY SPECK OF MAN! YOU INSOLENT LITTLE…," finally releasing the wrench as she flung it at Ed, Winry spun around to a loud crack and the thud of Ed's head against the floor, "…micro-boy…?"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"..and then I threw the wrench at you and you got knocked out. And then, _that_ was when your towel fell off and I screamed and the Fuhrer saw your….your…"

"Yes! I get it!" Ed snapped through the blush that suffocated his face as he boarded the train.

"I'm sorry, Ed. It was an accident I swear." Quickly changing her tone, Winry added, "You deserved it anyways."

Ed glared at her from over his shoulder as he got into the tiny compartment that was left. Winry followed him inside as the conductor shouted to all last boarders that the train was about to leave.

"How's the train?" Roy asked from the platform as Winry stuck her head out to say goodbye.

"The compartment is a little small, thanks though." Winry replied, smiling.

"Oh, small? Unlike our surprisingly un-little friend who's pouting inside." Roy smirked as the train began to leave the station. "Be prepared for that Winry!" Roy shouted as the train gained speed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Ed's braid flailed in the wind that the train created as Roy waved happily in the distance. Pulling himself back inside the compartment, Ed blushed furiously and demanded that Winry immediately play cards with him.

They decided on poker and the game began. An hour or so later, Ed sat in his boxers and black shirt; the train was starting to heat up. Swiping furiously at a bead of sweat on his forehead, Ed concentrated on the cards in his hand once again. He was absolutely sure he was going to win, even though he no longer had his coat to cheat from.

Winry glared down at her cards in faked-frustration. She knew Ed had been cheating but she hadn't said anything. Now, however, he had nowhere to run if his cards were bad, and she was one hundred percent sure that she was going to win the hand.

Blue eyes opened wide in amazement as Ed threw down his cards on the make-shift table they had made out of a suitcase. Giggling triumphantly, Winry threw her full house hand onto Ed's two pairs.

"Ha! I win! Give me back my stuff!" Grudgingly, Ed complied and handed over her wrench and lock-picking tools.

"It's because of the heat. Why's it so hot in here anyways!" Ed complained heatedly, shuffling towards the window on his right where the nighttime scenery flashed by.

Winry watched as Ed struggled to open the window wider. "Ed, need help? I think it's just a little rusty."

"Don't be stupid I don't need a girls help." When the window still didn't budge and Winry looked at him victoriously, Ed huffed angrily, "Fine I'll just alchemize a bigger window."

"Ed! Don't be stupid! Grabbing his left hand before it made contact with his right one, Winry tugged his arm away form the window and studied it closely. "See? I only need to tighten that screw and it will work."

After tightening the screw, the window still would not budge. "I told you I don't need a girl's help! You're always in the way! You made it worse." Ed declared before promptly shoving Winry out of the way, disturbing some of the cards that lay on the suitcase between them.

Winry shoved back, "No I don't! I know what I did wrong, just let me-"

"You're an idiot! Stick to your machines, this is a window. It's different, let me do it!"

"Ed, don't alchemize it! You'll get in trouble! Don't ignore…" In the flurry of motion, the suitcase became dislodged from between them and cards flew into their faces, distracting them long enough to find them both on the floor between the seats in a tangle of limbs. "…me?"

Ed held his breath as he stared into Winry's very close face. The memory of the kiss they'd shared in his depressed-state back at the hotel haunted Ed's mind as he became aware of every single place on his body that she came into contact with. "W-Winry, I-"

"Are you alright we heard a noise outside and…! Oh my! I'm sorry, it's just that usually the newlyweds are in the other car and-!"

"WE AREN'T MARRIED!" Ed shouted at the stewardess. The woman's nervous expression fell and was replaced with one of disgust.

"Then please withhold from that activity on the train!" She shouted rudely before slamming the compartment door shut and stomping away from it.

"Ed! They probably think badly of us now!" Winry scolded angrily as she shoved the heavy alchemist off of her and stood up.

Ed stood up too as Winry was about to sit down. "Stand up and face me!"

"The train is moving! We'll fall!" Winry protested angrily, despite the fact that she began to stand again.

"No we're not! If I'm right then there won't be any rough ground for another 15 or twenty minutes!" Ed countered as he leered at her challengingly.

Winry Rockbell never backed out of a challenge made by Edward Elric. Ever! "So what are you going to do! Transmute me to the floor?" Winry asked, jabbing a finger-nail into Ed's chest.

"You'd probably just cry like last time I transmuted something near you." Ed smirked.

Gasping at the unfair insult, Winry shuffled closer to Ed. "What about the time you cried when a rabbit jumped out of a bush and scared you?" Although the insults were strange, they still worked efficiently and soon both were in a heated insult-battle.

Ed shuffled closer to Winry again, now nose to nose with her and glaring viciously into her eyes. "I'm not the mechanic who cried through someone else's automail surgery even though the person wasn't crying themselves!" Ed shot back in response to her last insult.

The train car jostled everything dangerously and the light in their compartment flickered dangerously before going out completely and the train car shook violently once again and came to a halt.

A voice came on the P.A system as stewardesses hurried through the cars. "We're sorry for the inconvenience but we are afraid the train may have hit an animal and we have stopped the train to have a look." Many children wailed woefully at the news of the animal's death and the car continued to overflow with anxious activity..

Winry Rockbell and Edward Elric however, were in too much shock to react to the announcement. When the car had first moved, Winry had grabbed onto Ed's shirt in fear and on the second shake, Ed hand grabbed her to prevent her from falling. The result was Ed lying on the red seat and Winry lying on top of him, rather uncomfortably.

But that wasn't the shock.

Winry froze at the feel of hot breath that signified that there were warm lips once again just mere inches from her own and Ed held back the moan that formed in his throat. Darkness still enveloped them and Ed decided to be daring. Darting out his tongue to moisten his lips, the muscle made contact with something above it as well, and Ed quickly returned his tongue.

'_She tastes…tart._' Ed decided mentally. He was tempted to kiss her again but he held back, pushing his head further into the cushion.

Gasping at the wetness that brushed across her lower lips, Winry narrowed her eyes into the darkness at Ed's face. His face was one of deep concentration and Winry's eyes lit with determination as she swallowed her fear and leaned her face forward slightly.

Ed gasped softly as Winry's soft lips made contact with his own and a shiver of delight ran down his spine. Just as quickly as they descended, her lips were gone and so was her body. Sitting up, Ed adjusted his shirt and stared into the darkness ahead of him.

The lights flickered on and the two blondes made eye contact before looking away.

"I'm going to get some sleep before we get to Risembool." Winry yawned calmly as she stretched out on the chair provided to her.

Ed nodded quietly and proceeded to look at everything in the compartment but her. Temptation finally became too strong and Ed glanced at the sleeping girl. Sighing in defeat Ed stretched out on his side of the compartment as well.

Sure, Ed had changed dramatically over the years of his journey and had finally matured. But nothing could have prepared him for the change that this girl, no, that this woman made him undergo.

He had fallen hard for this girl, and now there was no turning back.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: -le gasp- You guys are so mean! Having such little faith in me :( I'd never tear apart Winry and Ed, they are too cute:P**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	12. Summer: Youth

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Summer: Youth

Chapter 12

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Pinako watched as the blonde alchemist grimaced into the quickly approaching sunset. He had returned from Central with Winry four days before, but they still hadn't exchanged many words.

There wasn't any tension though, Pinako had noticed, just a strain on their relationship; one that wasn't there before they had originally left for Central with al in tow. When Al and Winry had returned alone Al reassured her that nothing happened to Ed, but that he had said he had nothing in Risembool to come home to. Yet, a mere two days later there was a phone call and Winry came running from the phone frantically searching for her toolbox and her coat; Ed was calling for her in Central, he was to come home.

Chewing on her empty pipe, Pinako narrowed her eyes on the boy's back. He was always changing, yes, but now he had changed differently; maturing through pain and loss is strong, but maturing through emotion and socialization is also strong.

"Auntie Pinako, will they be okay?" Al whispered beside her, a kitten slumbering peacefully in his lap.

"That there is one of Nelly's kitties now isn't it?" Pinako chuckled heartily at the blush she received as a response. "Yes, yes. Those two will be alright; I'll make sure of it. Now shall we head inside?"

Al watched the elderly woman throttle back inside and nearly shook with fear. He knew she meant well, but when she got like that….it was creepy. Shaking off the feeling, Al followed her inside.

Ed relaxed as Al's presence faded away from him. Not that he disliked his brother's presence, it was just that he really wanted some time alone.

"I hate loving her but I would hate hating her. So would I like liking her? Does that even make sense?" Ed shook his body in frustration before falling back against the truck of the tree he was leaning on. "Why can't this shit be simple like alchemy!" His whining voice was carried into the distance as he slumped down into an angry pout.

"Why the long face?" Winry appeared above him and Ed released s startled yell. "You're pathetic, you used to fight battles but you're scared of a beautiful young girl like me? Terrible, simply terrible." She continued muttering as she pulled out her toolbox.

Eyeing the wrench she had just taken out, Ed raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What are you doing?"

"Your weekly maintenance check is today" came the muffled response from the lid of the large toolbox. Reached out to analyze the damage, Winry clucked her tongue in disappointment. "You're not even fighting anymore and you still treat my poor baby so poorly." Winry scolded as she cradled her creation lovingly.

Ed scoffed at her but watched in awe as she quickly began her work on his arm and leg. It was amazing how much she had improved since he had been gone; what used to take her half a day now took her half an hour.

"Done!" Winry sat back on her heels, swiping away the small bead of sweat that rolled down her cheek. "It's already so hot for early June…." She sighed, staring up into the boughs of the tree above.

"Yeah…" Ed murmured as he curiously watched a bead of sweat travel from her chin, down her neck, down her chest and slowly crawling past the collar of her shirt.

"Ed…" the threatening note she held in her voice caused Ed to looked up cautiously. She stared at him with one eyebrow cocked upwards in a mixture of annoyance and surprise. "What are you looking at…?" The upturned eyebrow twitched dangerously.

"Looking…" Ed searched his suddenly blank mind before realization dawned on him and he glanced at the smirking girl warily before gulping, "…at? Me? Oh, nothing special."

"I see." Winry snapped before standing up quickly and turning sharply on her heel towards the house.

"Wait, I was joking!" Winry kept walking, not missing a single step. "It was actually…quite interesting?" This statement rewarded him with Winry's abrupt stop and death-wishing glare. "Or…not?" He called to her quickly retreating form."

"Brother…" Ed screamed as his brother's olive-grey eyes peeked out at him from the leaves above his head. "…you scream like a girl."

Now it was Ed's turn to cock an eyebrow in annoyance. "What!"

"Nothing." Swinging out of the tree, Al stretched out beside his brother. "You're not very good with girls, are you?"

Ed's eyebrow twitched slightly; he probably got this habit from Winry. "What?"

"You ask a lot of question Brother." Al yawned into his hand, turning his head to lazily stare at his enraged elder brother. "I could answer some questions you might have about girls, Brother."

"Isn't that _my_ line?" Ed asked; his tone dangerously low.

"It would be, Brother, but you seem to be having…mechanical difficulties." A loud tearing sound followed by the swish of leaves and the frightened yelp of Al intrigued Winry to look out the workroom window.

Upon catching wind of what they were shouting at each other, Winry returned to the stuffy room and shut the window, tightly. Shaking her head, she tried to smother the muffled, but still loud, screams that erupted from the two men on her lawn.

"AL! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU; I DON'T LIKE HER!"

"BECAUSE YOU LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE HER!" Al tossed back over his shoulder, once again running from the eldest Elric.

"I-….STOP ACTING CHILDISH!"

"YOU'RE MORE CHILDISH THAN ME!"

"HOW IS THAT! ARE YOU CALLING ME SHORT! ARE YOU! HUH! HUH BLONDEY!"

"BROTHER, YOU'RE NOT MAKING SENSE!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAYS!"

"BROTHER…!"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Completely exhausted from the activities earlier that day, Ed stared up at the ceiling fan that generated the soft 'whiz' sound that floated around his head. Using his arms as a pillow and crossing his ankles tenderly, he avoided sleep by concentrating on his thoughts.

"Ed, dinner's ready." Winry called from downstairs.

"I'll come down later." He answered her restlessly.

A muffled screech of annoyance was heard before she yelled up the stairs, "Dinner is for dinner time you moron, get down here!"

"I don't want any!" Ed roared back at her, his frustration rising as her feet slammed up the stairs angrily.

The door flew open and Winry glared at him from the doorway. "Why not. You _always_ want food."

"I'm not Gluttony. I just don't feel well today." Ed muttered. As Winry became to speak he hurried to interrupt her, "It's not my automail, I just feel depressed." Nodding quietly in understanding, Winry closed the door softly and walked away.

Ed waited until he hear the creak of the stares before her cursed loudly and rolled over in irritation.

Depressed! Ha! He was down right pissed the hell off! That Johnny boy had called; the jeweler kid. Winry picked up the phone and stayed on the phone for two hours, but not only that. Afterwards when he asked her, rather politely in his opinion, what the damn call was about she had said it was a business order.

"I think not!" Ed scoffed into the empty room, eyes narrowing dangerously on the ceramic vase that lay on the windowsill to his right.

The vase had a stunning blue color; one of Winry's favorite colors, the color of Jonathon's eyes.

"Ed!" Winry exclaimed in shock, eyes round like saucers and staring at the scene before her. "Y-You're hand…what-…what are you doing!"

A soft splashing sound caught Ed's attention as something dripped off his left hand. Slowly, turning his head towards his left, Ed gaped at the shattered vase in his left hand.

"I-…I didn't-…it wasn't even my metal-…I-I didn't realize…" Ripping his gaze away from the shattered ceramic, to his bloody hand, to Winry's stunned expression, Ed felt his head spin as the pain finally shot up from his hand and into his body.

Carefully scrutinizing every inch of her body, Ed realized that Winry's knees were shaking and her hands were unconsciously rising to her face.

He hesitantly took an unstable step towards her. "Winry…I-"

"I'll get the first aid kit!" Running out of the room, Ed stared as the last wisp of her blonde ponytail seemed follow her in slow-motion.

Dropping to his knees, Ed felt nauseous; he had no idea what had happened and the blood dripping down his hand was making him feel ill. Ed gasped in shock as he found himself on the bed, Al and Pinako now present as well as Winry.

"Brother?" Lolling his head to the side to look at his younger brother, Ed felt his head spin again and clenched his eyes shut against it. "Brother!"

"He needs rest, Al. We'll come back in the morning."

"But Granny…?"

"Come on Winry, it's what he needs right now." Pinako's voice was soft, but quickly changed to a sterner voice after a short pause. "I forbid either of you to enter this room tonight."

Ed strained his ears; he could barely understand what they were arguing about now. He just wanted to sleep and get rid of his raging headache and the pain in his hand and arm.

Winry watched as Ed's sweat-laden eyelids drifted closed. "Granny, what's wrong with him. It's just a cut on his hand."

"Ah, but dear that vase had very old and very dirty water in it. I believe he has an infection." When Winry moved to interrupt her, she held up a wrinkled hand. "I gave him disinfectants and now he just needs to fight off the fever. He should be fine by morning if he gets the rest he needs. Which is why you are forbidden to come in here tonight."

"Not even to-?"

"Not even to check up on him or anything. If he calls for someone, come get me." Pinako stared into the misty blue eyes of her granddaughter before she turned away and held open the door for the two conscious teenagers. "Out."

Winry nodded and got up but Al remained seated at the bed.

Compassion spilled into Al's voice. "Brother…" His toned changed dramatically as he stood up. "You're so careless! Always getting sick! And he's supposed to be the older, more mature one…" He muttered absently as he passed Pinako.

When Winry and Al had returned to their own respective bedrooms, Pinako hobbled over to Ed's side and replaced the wet cloth that lay across his forehead with a cooler one.

"You stupid, stupid boy. Making people worry like that." Pinako scolded Ed's prone form. "Never worry people who love you; that should be your new mission. Let's see how you handle that on military boy." Pinako smirked into the room.

"Win…"

Pinako looked down at the sweating blonde in surprise. "Win?" she mumbled curiously, a familiar fire lighting her eyes.

"Win…ry"

Rushing out of the room, Pinako hurried into her own room, rustling through her dressers. "Now where did I put that tape recorder…?"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Sunlight streamed through the window, sprawling itself against Ed's sleeping figure. Fluttering his eyes open, only to close them against the sunlight, Ed struggled to get into a sitting position and groaned.

"Brother! Are you alright! What hurts! What do you need!" Al rambled on his list of concerned questions.

"Al!" The boy looked at him and nodded weakly in response. "Get me food" Ed whined pathetically.

"Auntie! Food!"

"Get it yourself you damn lazy child!" came the angered response.

Smiling sheepishly, Al murmured "I'll be back soon" and hurried down to the kitchen.

Leaning back into the pillows, Ed stared at his bandaged hand. "Am I crazy…?"

"Haven't we been through this already? If you're talking to yourself than yes, you are." Winry laughed meekly, a concerned smile resting on her face.

"How long was I out for?"

"Just the night. You got a small infection from the vase you destroyed. Nothing major, thankfully." She started to walk towards him, but turned to the chair on the other side instead. "So…Why did you break it Ed?" Winry asked as she seated herself on the wooden chair.

Shrugging stubbornly, Ed looked away from her and focused his gaze on the scene outside the window. "I don't know."

"What did it call you short? Don't just do ridiculous things like that. What if that vase was valuable? What if I needed that vase?" She scolded from her position beside him. "What if-?"

"Shut up, Winry. Leave me alone. Go call Jonathon or something; get that job done. Just get away from me."

"Brother! That was uncalled for!" Al lectured as he walked into the room and carefully placed the try of food on the stand beside Ed.

"No, Al. It's fine, I'll leave. I'm probably just a nuisance anyways." Looking up weakly through her bangs, Winry smiled sadly. "Catch up, you guys rarely seem to just talk now."

Her chair toppled over as she abruptly got up and ran from the room. Her door closed loudly, but not enough to be considered slamming. Al looked at his brother disapprovingly but decided to detour from the topic.

"Auntie Pinako made some of your favorites." Al forced out cheerfully as he presented the food to his sibling. "Would you like help? I could go outside and help Auntie Pinako with the herb garden if you would prefer to be alone."

Ed nodded gratefully, "Yeah, thanks Al." He waited until he heard his door close before he let the grimace he had been holding back, seep into his face.

"She's probably crying…" Ed thought out loud. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but she was just so difficult sometimes. Ed was sure he'd be so much more believable if he had something to justify that with.

He honestly wasn't very sure why he had attacked the poor vase. It was incredibly stupid; even for him. All he could remember was associating the vase's color with the jeweler-bastard's eye color. Was that enough to provoke him to attack a piece of ceramic artwork?

Scoffing at his own stupidity, Ed propped up the pillows behind him and sat up a little higher. "The vase was pretty though, it's a shame." Shaking his head and laughing lightly at his sudden appreciation for art, Ed refocused on his original thoughts.

'_I don't even remember getting up to grab the vase. I just remember Winry standing in the doorway; looking at me so…weird.'_ Ed knew he'd seen that look before; it was so familiar.

He reached for the try of food and started to satisfy his hunger, taking a sip of the water his brother had replaced milk with occasionally. When his plate was clean and his stomach full, Ed continued to sip the water distractedly as he once again examined his behavior earlier.

"Am…Am I…jealous?" He asked the empty room incredulously. "No, Am I _that_ jealous!"

Ed's grip on the glass slackened slightly as he sat in shock. It certainly explained why he had gotten so mad when she was on the phone with him. And why whenever she wore jewelry he insulted her appearance and scoffed at her choice of jewelry. He was a possessive bastard that couldn't even take claim on what he was possessive about, therefore leaving everything else to face the wrath of his anger. Risembool was set for destruction.

A loud yelp echoed through the room and Winry burst through the door, worry etched into her features. "What's wrong?" she huffed dramatically.

"Cold, cold, cold!" Ed whimpered as he placed the now empty glass on the tray and ripped the wet sheets away from his mostly bare body. He paused as Winry's laughter filled the room. "What's wrong?" This made Winry laugh harder for some reason and Ed narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Y-Your…" Another fit of giggled took over her ability to talk.

"My…?" Ed asked, his patience wearing thin.

"B-B…Boxers…are…!" Winry covered her eyes now and turned her back to him, her giggling winding down finally. Clearing her throat, Winry peered over her shoulder with a blush heated her face as she quickly turned around again and got caught up in her giggles.

"What about my goddamned boxers! You've seen them enough times! They're either plain white or plain blue! They don't have little duckies on them or anything!" Ed roared as his patience snapped as the volume of her laughter increased tenfold.

"E-Exactly!" Wiping the tears in her eyes, Winry gasped her explanation out between giggles, "They are…white…and…the water…"

Realization dawned on Ed and he hastily grabbed for the wet sheets again. "Y-You…You PERVERT! GET OUT! OUT, OUT, OUT, OUT, OUT!"

Winry squealed as pillows, sheets, flowers, chairs and trays were thrown at her. "I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"

As his door closed, Ed kneeled in the middle of his bed, a sheet wrapped tightly around his hips and his hair ruffled and messy from his explosion of activity. Struggling to get air to return to his lungs, Ed continued his pointless glare at the door as a strong blush crept into his cheeks.

His eyes widened and he slumped back against the soles of his feet. "S-She…she _saw_ me…" Ed gasped into the room before letting out an aggravated and embarrassed roar and diving into his closet in search of clothes.

Winry lay on the floor outside his door, giggling uncontrollably and fighting the butterflies that erupted in her stomach. "He's…He's…!" Swiping away the tears that surfaced at the corners of her eyes furiously, Winry hurried into her room to bury her thoughts in her machines.

Winry leaned back from her desk and put down the screwdriver. Ed leaned back against the headboard and placed the alchemy book down on his now-dry lap. Both stared at the different ceilings above them. "This is going to drive me crazy."

Cursing loudly, Ed returned to his equations. Winry continued to stare at the ceiling for a moment before sighing and setting back to working out the kinks of her new design.

Pinako stared up the stairs that lead to the upper level. "Being young is tough, isn't it?" Smirking to herself, she continued out into the backyard where Al was harvesting his catnip. "Alphonse! Don't think I can't see that cat in your shirt!"

"But Auntie!"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: I don't think I'm writing very well anymore. :-pout-: but I'll try harder next time! I would feel sorry for Ed & Winry…but…it's fun torturing them so, oh well! Reviews are valued and loved! 3**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	13. Summer: Feeling Blue

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Summer: Feeling Blue

Chapter 13

By: RomanceFanFicLover

"A 'Lake Party'!" Ed's furious roar ripped through the Rockbell household.

Winry glared at him accusingly as a picture fell off the wall and onto the couch. "Ed! You don't have to scream about it!" she scolded as she replaced the fallen picture. "You don't even have to go; I was just telling you that there was one and that-"

"And that I had to go!" he bit back in anger.

"No! I said that most of the younger Risembool residents went there! Don't twist my words!" The blue-eyed mechanic threatened dangerously.

Taken aback slightly by her tone, Ed's anger lowered a notch. "B-But, you said that Nelly and Jonathon were going…" he accused weakly as she took a step closer to him.

"So…!" Another step was taken.

"S-So…" Laughing nervously, Ed quickly regained his composure, "So that means I should come to! And we all know you're going to drag me anyways!" He gestured to the other two occupants of the Rockbell living room.

"Don't bring me into this." Al stated dully as he trimmed one of the small plants Pinako kept around the house.

"I don't get mixed into these crazy young things." Pinako defended herself plainly before retreating into the workroom.

Looking back at the determined young woman in front of him, Ed gulped nervously. Winry took a step closer, pulling out a wrench from her overalls' pocket in the process.

"Edward…" she threatened once again.

"Alright I'll go!" Ed gaped as she returned the wrench to it's hiding spot and smiled joyously at him.

"See, Ed? I didn't force you! You said it all on your own!" She beamed proudly and stepped forward to pinch his cheek lightly. "What's wrong shrimp? You look a little worked up." Laughing menacingly, Winry strutted into the backyard and out of the eldest Elric's sight.

"Sc-Sc-Sc…"

"Yes Brother. _Very_ scary." Al helped his brother out as he finished trimming the mini-hedge. "But you'll have fun. Nelly invited me, so I'm her date. And I _suppose_ Winry 'invited' you so…you're her date."

"Great…A double date." Ed mumbled sarcastically.

Laughing, Al cleaned up his work station and stood up. "Yes, yes. And didn't Mom always say that she'd love to see us go on a double date?" Ed watched in shock as his brother left the room, his laughter still trailing behind him happily.

"A-Al…?" Blinking at the now-closed door, Ed pulled himself together and marched into the backyard after Winry.

"Oi! Machine Freak!" Ed called as he burst out the door. He stopped though, when he noticed that the yard was empty. "Winry?" He scanned the backyard a second time just in case but still didn't find any lemon-blonde hair or lavender overalls peeking out through the bushes surrounding the yard or between the laundry hanging out to dry.

'_Hmph, weird. I could have sworn she came out here…'_ Looking around a third time, Ed caught a small glimpse of lemon-blonde hair peeking out from the side of the house. As he edged closer to the girl a male voice caused him to leap towards the wall and press his back against it for safety.

"What the…?" he muttered as the voices got louder the closer he got to his childhood best friend.

"So…are you planning on going to the Lake Party as well, Winry?" Jonathon's cool voice floated towards Ed.

"Yes I am. I can't wait! Although…Nelly wants me to double date with her and Alphonse, but I'm not sure…" For some reason that response seemed to rub Ed the wrong way and he shifted closer to the scene.

"Oh? How come? You're a pretty girl, I'm sure you will find a date easily." Jonathon laughed flirtatiously.

'_That's right, and it's me!'_ Ed thought smugly. '_She loves me and not you! Ha-ha-haha-ha!'_ An uncharacteristically sing-song voice erupted in his mind as he fought the urge to prance around to emphasize his pride.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that!" Winry laughed nervously. "But, I do have someone to go with…it's just…"

"Just…?" The jeweler encouraged her to continue. "You don't like him? He's a pervert? He's annoying? He's _short_?"

Winry stepped back and now Ed could see the side of most of her body, except her face. "Are you implying something, Jonathon?" She asked angrily.

"Maybe…Wouldn't you prefer to go with someone taller than that blonde…kid?" Ed's eyebrow twitched at the short comment and the age comment.

"If he's a _kid_ than I'm a _toddler_, not to mention the fact that he is much wiser and mature than you. So age doesn't even matter anyways! _And_ for your information he is taller than me by a proud inch and a half!" Winry stomped her foot for emphasis on her words.

Smiling proudly at her defense of him, Ed inched even closer to the girl.

"But I'm still much taller than him. And I must be much more fun if he's all about being wise and mature." Ed's smile was replaced by a cold scowl as the comment was said. "Don't you want to have…fun?"

Winry winced in disgust at his overly suggestive remark. "With you? I think not." Turning away from him, she smirked with satisfaction at the slight slapping sound she heard as her hair made contact with his face.

"Aw come on Winry, just a little fun! You're eighteen." Jonathon said playfully as he grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.

"And I'm nineteen. What's with all the talk of age?" Ed stepped out in front of them, smiling as though he hadn't heard a single word of the exchange. "Hey Win, let's go into town, I'll buy you a new swimsuit. Like that time we bought clothes for my _military retirement party_." Ed stressed the last few words, rubbing them into the older man's face.

Winry ripped her arm away from the jeweler and stepped towards Ed, grabbing his hand lightly. "Sure! I'll go tell Granny that we're leaving and ask Al to come along." Winry smiled gratefully and started towards the backdoor.

"See you later Winry." Jonathon replied smoothly, but his only response was the door slamming shut. "Rude little…"

"Little woman who if you touch again I will rip off your balls and feed them to you." Ed's stare never faltered. "If you'd like, I'll make it service with a smile." Grinning widely at Jonathon, Ed turned and headed back into the house as well.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

For some reason, Ed really regretted saving Winry from Jonathon at the moment.

"Well Ed? What about this one?" Ed resisted the severe urge to look at her and gulped down the lump that materialized in his throat as he eyed the sapphire blue bikini she was dressed in.

It had white strings and a white lining that almost looked like an outline. Although it was a bikini, it was surprisingly modest as the top covered all of her breasts and the bottoms weren't cut very thin or very low.

"Uhh…It looks great." '_Why did I go swimsuit shopping with Winry? Am I stupid! Why did I go swimsuit shopping with Winry! Why! Why!' _Ed thought in a rush that joined the blood rushing from his face and somewhere else instead.

"Why?"

"What!" Ed stared at Winry in fear. '_Oh my god, she can read my mind.'_

"Why does it look great?" Winry grinned slyly at Ed's embarrassed expression. "Hmmm? Tell me, tell me! Please…" She purred as she sat down beside Ed.

"U-Um… Be-Because you know…" Laughing nervously at Winry's unconvinced expression he decided to swallow his pride and continue, "Because it's blue so it matches your eyes and the material looks good on you and you're fit enough to wear bikinis and…IT JUST LOOKS GREAT ALRIGHT!"

Winry laughed as she headed back into the change room, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Edward behind her.

'_I'm an idiot…I'm wishing for death…I'm an-…They're idiots. They are wishing for death.'_ Ed stood up abruptly as he spied a couple teenagers hungrily eyeing Winry as she modeled herself in the mirror in her change room.

"Winry, close the door." He ground out, his back to her but his angered face was towards the three boys.

"Why Ed?" Poking her head out of the change room, Winry caught a glimpse of Ed's expression and the drooling boys that he was glaring at. "Oh…Alright. Don't break anything Ed!" Closing the door Winry analyzed herself in the mirror one more time before she decided to buy the swimsuit. "If Ed likes it, I love it!" she giggled to herself as she changed back into her clothes.

"What's so interesting there boys?" Ed growled dangerously.

"Yo is she your girlfriend!" One of the shorter ones asked excitedly.

"Well...uh…"

"'Cause if she's not I'll take her. I'd do a girl like her any day!" The boy's comment pleased the other two and they nodded vigorously, taking a step towards the blue-eyed girl's change room.

"If you want to find out by having your limbs ripped off I welcome you to take another step." Ed threatened, his glare never wavering.

"What's got you all up in a knot? We're just going to do what you do. Do her and leave her, it's the man's way of life. Come on, let us get second dibs." The tallest one smirked in confidence and Ed slouched back against the wall.

Winry froze in the change room as Ed paused after the boy's comment. '_Is that really how Ed feels…?_' She winced at her own thoughts. '_Have faith in Edward, Winry! Don't be stupid.'_ However, what Ed said next wanted Winry to take back her strong words.

"Well…You really want to know my plans?" He whispered devilishly. The boys nodded encouragingly at Ed. "Alright, sit down boys. I'm going to teach you what a real man's plans are."

Winry fought back the urge to tear through the store and murder Edward, she could still hear him, although she was pretty sure by his volume that he didn't want her to.

Once the boys had settled themselves on the bench in front of him, Ed glanced over his shoulder to make sure Winry wasn't out of the change room yet before bending over and telling them his plans.

"I _might_ do her. But first and foremost, I'm going to love her so much that she can barely stand it. Then I'm going to marry her and make her cry the tears of happiness she deserves. And finally…finally…I'll screw her brains out if she permits it."

Winry almost sighed in relief but the last part made her flush in anger, embarrassment _and_ excitement. "Ed…" she breathed into the empty change room before opting for the first emotion. "I'm going to make you suffer."

Ed whipped around as the change room door was flung open and Winry stomped out. "Edward! We're leaving!" She announced as she charged towards the cashier.

He blinked at the girl in surprise. "Uh…sure." Turning towards the boys again Ed spoke barely above a whisper and the boys leaned in to hear. "If she doesn't kill me first that is." The nodded in agreement and slunk out of the door where a relatively safer area was guaranteed to them.

"Take me with you..." Ed whined as Winry returned to drag him towards the cashier.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

When the swimsuit she had chosen was purchased, Winry proceeded to storm out of the store and head off towards the male swimsuit store.

"H-Hey! Winry! Wait!" She heard Ed bellow out to her as she rushed into the store and into one of the men's sections. "Winry!" Ed followed her into the isles of clothing and waited as she rummaged through different sections and different racks, gathering items the whole time.

"Try this, this, this, this…and….this on." Winry said as she handed him five items; all of them a blue that matched her own outfit.

Laughing, Ed commented on her choice of color. "You really like blue don't you?"

"I said try it on! And make sure you try it on in O-R-D-E-R!" was his ordered response and he slunk into one of the change rooms to see what she had selected.

Winry waited while Ed tried on the first item. He appeared in an entirely too large pair of trunks. They were mainly sky blue but had sapphire blue waves on the bottom.

Ed had to keep one hand on one side of the trunks just to keep them up. "Winry, this is an extra large! I'm fit not fat." He huffed as he looked the other way in a mock-pout.

Winry blushed a deep crimson; as Ed turned he had loosened his grip on the article of clothing. Although he still had his regular black tank top on, Winry could still see well toned skin pulled tightly against sinewy muscle.

Getting up abruptly, Winry turned towards one of the racks of clothing and rather loudly announce, "I'll get you a medium!" as Ed remained in his pouting stance; oblivious to her reaction to him.

"I'll go try on another one then." When the door shut with a soft snap Winry turned to watch the door in amazement.

'_Ed is…hot…'_ Giggling ridiculously and swaying slightly, Winry fought to regain composure. Her struggle only worsened when she spied the trunks drop to the floor at Ed's feet. '_Oh my…!'_ Cooling off, Winry swiped furiously at her face; she was certain she had drooled at least a little bit.

The next four items were relatively plain and Ed's size which both disappointed and relieved Winry, however the last item she had picked received the reaction she had expected.

"W-W-Winry…What _is_ this!" Ed screamed as he opened the door a crack, gesturing to the lower half of his body.

"What is what? I can't see Ed." She replied innocently.

Growling slightly, Ed opened the door a little wider to reveal a very tight and very _small_ Speedo. "What is _this_!"

"It's a type of swimsuit Ed. Haven't you heard of it yet?" Winry asked, just as innocently as before.

"This is not a swimsuit!" Ed concluded dramatically. "This is a…a…a small, tiny, little, minute, miniature, miniscule, diminutive, mini…microscopic piece of material that fell off a truck and landed in this store!" He hissed angrily.

Laughing evilly, Winry walked up to the door. "I don't think it's _that_ bad, Ed! Let's see what the salesclerk thinks, shall we? Excuse me, Miss!" Winry shouted.

Panicking, Ed covered Winry's mouth and pulled her into the small changing room. "Shh! Are you trying to make me die of embarrassment! You're too cruel…" Ed whined quietly as Winry struggled against his hand.

Removing the offended piece of flesh, Winry answered Ed in a loud whisper. "You deserve it! And anyways, it really isn't _that_ small." Winry grinned as she gestured to the article of clothing.

"Y-You haven't seen the back yet…" Ed muttered quietly before clasping his hand over Winry's mouth to stifle her insane laughter. "Would you shut up! You aren't supposed to be in here."

"That's your fault! I never asked you to pull me in here!" She corrected angrily and pulled the door open a sliver to see if anyone was near the change rooms. "Coast is clear, I can-" she yelped in pain as Ed's foot made contact with her butt and she found herself on the floor. "I said I was getting out!"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Ed had finally decided, with Winry's persuasive help of course, on a sapphire blue pair of trunks with white lining on the pockets, stitches and regular linings. All in all, it was almost an exact double of Winry's choice of outfit.

"We match!" Winry exclaimed for the fourth time as they traveled up the dirt road that led them home, purchased items were hidden in bags that each carried gently.

"Yes, yes, I know Winry! I know!" Ed yelled, exasperated by her sudden short term memory loss.

"Geez, I was just commenting." Winry muttered in annoyance as Ed's tone put off her excitement of matching…for a moment. "But I like when we match! It makes us seem closer together and people see us as being really close."

Winry waited for Ed's response; in her opinion, she couldn't have dropped anymore obvious hints. However, she didn't receive a response, nor was Ed present when she turned around to find the reason why he hadn't answered.

"Ed…?" She muttered. "Ed?" This time her voice had risen as she searched frantically for the golden eyes she was expecting to see. "Edward!"

"You're loud."

Winry glared at him as he walked up behind her casually, as though he hadn't even left. "I'm loud because I couldn't find you! Don't just leave me like that!" She scolded heatedly as she marched forward in annoyance.

"I didn't go anywhere, I just walked past you." Ed pointed out nonchalantly before turning his back on her and lifted his arms up behind his head.

"Hey Ed…" Winry started and he turned to look at her. "What's that hanging out of your pocket?" She pointed to the blue material that poked out the corner of his pocket.

"Huh…?" Glancing down at his pocket, Ed's face blazed with embarrassment and he hastily stuffed the item further into his pocket.

Lowering her bangs over her eyes, Winry ground out his name, "Edward…" Glaring up at him again, Winry continued. "What is that…?"

Taking a step backwards, towards the house, Ed laughed nervously. "N-Nothing important… Let's go home." Starting at a full run towards the house didn't soothe Winry's suspicions either.

"Edward Elric! Get back here right now!"

Chasing down the eldest Elric was easy for Winry since he was heavily laden with bags of swimsuits and some knick-knacks she had picked out. When she got close enough, Winry pounced and landed on Ed's back.

Sighing, Ed fished into his pants pocket and pulled out a deep blue ribbon. Lazily, He draped the ribbon behind his shoulder with his metal arm while he smothered a yawn with his flesh hand.

"Ribbon?" Winry asked, dumbstruck.

"No, it's a squirrel." Ed shot back.

"I didn't mean it like that! Where'd you get it? How am I supposed to use it?" Winry wrinkled her nose in confusion; she wasn't much of a ribbon girl.

"I found it, and thought it would match what you bought today. And you could always tie it around the usual hair tie you use." Ed suggested as he glanced back at her. "Shall we head home now?"

"Um…Yeah…" She answered as she fiddled with the soft ribbon idly, turning it over in her hands.

A small amount of white flashed on the ribbon and he moved her hands to where it was resting. '_A sticker..?'_ Winry thought questioningly as she looked closer at the white sticker.

Snapping her head back up to look at Ed's back, Winry smiled and returned her gaze to her ribbon. '_A price tag…found it, my ass!'_ She laughed mentally as she skipped to his side and yanked his arm down to link her own arm within it.

"Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome, Winry."

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reassurance and encouragement! Hope you liked the chapter.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	14. Summer: Differences

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Summer: Differences

Chapter 14

By: RomanceFanFicLover

It was finally here. The day Winry had been anticipating for a week was here. It was time to celebrate that the day was here because in the afternoon there would be even more celebration. It was Winry Rockbell's day off and it was her day to shine but that only put off Ed's mood more.

"Winry, stop dancing in front of the television." Ed commanded for the seventh time in the past hour and a half. He had missed three shows and his patience was finally threatening to snap. "Winry, stop- Winry… Winry!"

"Yes, Ed?" Winry asked in the melody she was singing and dancing ridiculously to.

"If you're going to torture Den by making him dance, do it outside please." He replied dryly.

Winry stopped singing and let go of Den's paws. "I'm not torturing him! Den! Come back!" She got up and chased after the dog.

"Peace and-"

"Brother! Can you come upstairs for a second!" Al's voice boomed down the stairs, startling Ed out of his triumphant celebration. Sometimes Al's voice resonated as though it were still coming out of a suit of armor, and it was scary.

"Why!" Ed screamed up the stairs in exasperation. The whole house was going crazy just because a bunch of people were going swimming that afternoon.

"I just need help!" Al's impatient response snapped back at him.

Looking up in surprise at Al's tone, Ed hurried up the stairs. "What's…wrong?" Blinking at the incredible mountain of clothes that towered on the bed, Ed searched the room for Al. "Are you…buried or something?" he muttered in his search.

"Over here, brother! Help me pick out what to wear." Al demanded as he continued to rummage through the almost-empty closet.

Ed stared at his brother in a mixture of shock and disgust. "Al! You've turn into…into…a woman!" Stumbling back in his shock, Ed felt his back collide with something sort of soft. "Ah!"

Al whipped around holding a red button up shirt. "Aha! Can I borrow this brother?" Looking up form the silk material, Al was granted with a single strand of blonde sticking out of a pile of multi-colored clothing. "…Brother…?"

Ed's muffled cry for help brought Al to his senses and he quickly unburied his brother.

"Thanks…Al…Thanks…a lot…" Ed managed to get in between breaths.

"No problem, brother. But, since you owe me one now, can I borrow this shirt? Really? Thanks Ed!" Ed wasn't even able to have a glimpse at the shirt as Al stormed out of the house and bellowed for Winry to see his outfit.

"What has Nelly done to Al..?" He asked the air pathetically as he flopped down into the cushion of clothing.

"That looks like fun." Winry commented from the doorway.

"How did you-…? Weren't you just…?" Ed fumbled around the words as his heart thudded brutally against his ribcage in fear and surprise. "…Yeah…" was all he ended up managing.

"Can I join you?" she asked as she stepped away from the doorway and into the room. When she received a positive nod in response she made herself comfortable on a pile of shirts beside him. "It's relaxing. But why is it here?"

"Al's gone crazy…" Ed muttered coldly under his breath and he was rewarded with Winry's light laughter.

"He's not crazy you moron, he just wants to impress Nelly. That's more than I can say for you." She sniffed as she looked away from him.

"Who do I have to impress. You know how I am anyways, and Auntie Pinako is…too old." Ed shuddered at the thought of him and Pinako ever being more then family.

"Not that, you idiot. You never dress up or try to look good." '_Although you don't really need to do more than just stand there if you want to look good…'_ Winry's mind betrayed her.

Ed thought over what she said before speaking. "I guess I could try for the lake party…" He finally mumbled in defeat.

"Really?" Came the excited response.

"Yeah…"

"Thank you, Ed!" Winry cried as she jumped into the pile of clothes he was resting in to devour him in a hug.

"Ah! For what?" He demanded as he tries to wrestle her grasp off of him. He stopped as Winry looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears and a large, happy smile plastered onto her face.

"For being here." Satisfied with Ed's sigh of defeat, Winry buried herself deeper into his chest, breathing deeply to accumulate as much of his scent into her nose as possible.

They stayed like that for about fifteen minutes in peace before Al's frantic voice brought them crashing back to Earth from Cloud Nine.

"Brother! I can't find Winry!" Al cried desperately as he slumped against the bottom step of the stairs in exhaustion. He had been running around looking for her the whole time.

"She's right here, you moron." Ed said dryly as he headed over to the stairs.

"Really!" Tearing up the stairs and barreling into his brother before reaching the room where Winry was.

"Al…" Ed groaned in pain as he peeled himself off the floor, glaring at the door that permeated the excited squeals and happy laughter of the two teenagers.

Marching into the room, Ed glared at the sandy-blonde head and then the lemon-blonde head.

"Al." He paused, waiting for his brother to make eye contact, and then he continued. "Get out. Winry." When Winry made eye contact he continued once again. "Stay here."

Al looked up at his brother questioningly but followed his orders anyways.

"Ed…?" Winry asked hesitantly as Ed closed the door behind Al.

Rubbing the back of his head absently, Ed turned to his childhood friend. Smiling sheepishly, he started to speak in a hushed tone. "Could you, uh, well that is…" Cursing his sudden lack for words, Ed took a deep breath before continuing. "Since Al is making a big fuss and all…could you help me choose something to wear?"

Winry looked at Ed in surprise but nodded enthusiastically and dove into one of the piles of clothes anyways. "What did you have in mind?" she asked as she flung a shirt in the opposite direction.

"Something to…" Ed tapped his chin in thought, something which Winry couldn't help but smile lovingly at. "to…match your outfit…" He finally decided and removed his hand from his chin to look at a slightly dazed Winry.

He waited for her to say something but she continued to stand there and blink at him. Becoming incredibly annoyed Ed snapped at her, gaining her attention. "What!"

"You, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and state alchemist, want to match with me. Yet you, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and state alchemist, said that matching was stupid just the other day."

Twitching slightly in annoyance, Ed tried his best to tower over her menacingly and cease the twitching. "Yes. I, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and _tall_ state alchemist, want to match with you, Winry Rockbell, the automail mechanic, Edward Elric's childhood friend and…"

Holding her breath, Winry waited for his finally statement. She stared at him expectantly and tried her best to look innocent.

Ed tried not to wince as Winry glared at him evilly and he quickly lost his confidence. "Erm…and a girl?"

Winry fumbled for her wrench which, sadly, was not in her overalls at the moment. Sighing in surrender, she turned to Ed and leered at his figure, still laughing sheepishly with his eyes squeezed shut in fake amusement. "Edward…"

"Huh?"

"Wait over there while I…search." As Ed stumbled to the clearest spot by the opposite wall, Winry pictured the outfit she had planned out and went in search of clothes to match.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Be good, be safe, have fun!" Pinako called out to the trio as they hurried towards the large lake where the party was being held. With both Ed and Al fussing over their newly acquired outfits they had ended up an hour late.

Ed strolled along happily on Winry's left side. He sported white shorts with black linings and stitching, a white tank top and an opened blue button-up shirt over it that flapped in the lazy wind. His trunks were under his shorts and he found himself to be very proud of the outfit that Winry had picked out for him. Sure they weren't his colors…but they were hers and that was better than wearing pink.

On Winry's right side, Al was proud to sport his own outfit that he picked out himself. His red button-up shirt was closed halfway but still allowed a blank tank top underneath to peek out from the red fabric. Black shorts ended it all and wrapped up an outfit that was incredibly close to his brother's own. It seemed as though Ed and Al had a color change for the night.

Amusement twinkled in Winry's eyes as she spied the two young men on either side of her openly admiring their own looks. Grabbing a hold of Ed's hand and Al's arm, Winry marched them to the lake confidently.

Ed stuttered a little in surprise and embarrassment but decided n simply shutting up and admiring Winry's own outfit. She had a white skirt and a new white tube top she had begged Ed for. On top of that she had on a checkered blue button-up shirt that tied under her bust.

Winry continued to chat excitedly with Al as Ed was dragged along behind them by Winry's hand. He couldn't help but feel ecstatic as Winry and Al continued to comment on the upcoming party. The food they mentioned didn't help calm Ed either, so he decided to give in and join the conversation; if he was smart enough he could find out the menu beforehand.

When they had finally reached the hill in front of the lake, Winry gasped dramatically and Ed was pretty sure he heard his jaw hit the floor.

The lake had lights all around it and candlesticks placed on plastic flowers floated elegantly across the lake's surface. Some people were already in the lake but most were conversing near the edges or flirting near the drinks. A large tent was set up with food inside and about 40 coolers held nonalcoholic drinks for everyone to share. Even some of the trees were decorated with Christmas lights that twinkled happily in the setting sun.

"Wow…" was all Ed could muster up to say and Al headed down the hill towards Nelly.

"I told you it'd be fun." Winry cooed as she stared at the whole scene in amazement. "It's so romantic…" Ed fought to contain his laughter as Winry continued to gush over the decorations and setting.

"Win-Win!"

Ed and Winry both whipped their heads in the direction of the voice and asked stupefied, "Win-Win?"

The voice drifted up to them again, this time it seemed closer and was coming from the side of the hill. "Win-Win! Edo!"

Winry snickered lightly as Ed continued to stare at the spot where the voice was coming from. "…Ed-…Edo!" As Winry burst into laughter Ed glared at her menacingly. "That's not funny."

"We're just joking, you guys are so uptight. Win-Win, Edo." Nelly dragged a giggling Al out of the trees and she skipped happily over to them. "You guys looked so funny! Come on let's go swim."

Nelly grabbed Al, who grabbed Ed, who grabbed Winry and they all ran down the hill towards the water's edge. Nelly wasted no time to take of the clothes covering her bathingsuit and she soon broke the water's surface with a large splash.

"Come on Al! I'll race you!" She cried happily as she started swimming towards the center of the lake.

"Come on, brother, Winry, let's go!" Taking off his own clothes, Al followed the girl into the lake. When he returned to the surface, he turned to Ed and Winry grinning. "It's warm too!"

Ed glared at the water suspiciously before snorting and turning away. "He's probably lying.

"Oh come on Ed, please?" Winry pouted, but Ed turned away. Winry smiled mischievously and decided to change tactics. "Alright, but at least take of your clothes so you can go swimming later." She suggested innocently.

"Sure." Ed said without thinking twice. What was Winry going to do? Pull him in? Laughing at the idea, Ed finally removed the last article. "Alright so where do you want to go then?"

Winry pointed to the lake before tugging firmly on Ed's flesh hand and pushing herself off the ground towards the lake. Yelping in surprise, Ed was dragged into the lake after her.

Sometime underwater Winry had released Ed's hand and when he came to the surface sputtering, he couldn't see her anywhere. "Winry…" Ed whined angrily as his eyes hurriedly searched the water's surface for her.

Ed started swimming slowly towards Al and Nelly; she was probably there. A soft tug on his trunks caused him to stop. Was he stuck on something? That was why he hated swimming in lakes. You never knew what was in there.

Ed gasped as the tug was harder this time, even though he wasn't swimming any longer. "What the-?" Just as Ed reached down into the water, his trunks were tugged half-off. "Ah!"

Blushing furiously, Ed slammed his hand down into the water and grabbed the thin wrist before it got away. Yanking up the giggling blonde, Ed glared angrily at her. "Winry, what the hell!" He half-whined and half-demanded at her giggling form.

Finally breaking free of her giggles, Winry blinked up at Ed innocently. "What's wrong, _Edo._" She giggled softly and tried to pull away as Ed's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Hey, Nelly. Look." Al pointed to where Ed and Winry were.

Nelly gaped at the scene. "Are they flirting…publicly? That isn't like Ed or Winry." Nelly turned to Al with a curious stare before swimming a little closer to them.

"Is brother tickling her?" Al asked in amazement as Ed grabbed Winry close to him and ran his hand playfully down her side and Winry squealed with laughter.

"Did Winry actually just dunk the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Nelly stared at the water where the two had just been standing.

Both Nelly and Al gasped in surprise as Winry rose out of the water horizontally with Ed holding her up before he tossed her back into the water, his bangs dripping with water as he grinned happily at the broken surface of the water.

"That's so cute…" Nelly cooed as Al placed his chin on top of her head and continued to watch the scene in front of them. Al couldn't contain the happy grin that plastered itself onto his face; it was so relieving to see his brother looking carefree like that.

"Let's go." Al insisted as Nelly tore her eyes away from the couple. Pouting, she nodded and they headed back to their friends.

Winry gasped for air as Ed tickled her mercilessly. "Ed! Stop! Can't…breathe!" She giggled and Ed ceased his movements.

Collapsing against his wet chest in exhaustion, Winry almost didn't even notice that Ed was holding her and it wasn't against his will. Almost.

Grinning giddily into his chest, Winry sighed happily before looking up at Ed's smiling face. "I wish you did that more often."

Ed looked at her in confusion. "Tickle you?" Winry laughed and shook her head in a negative. "Then what?"

"Smiled." At Ed's mystified stare, Winry explained. "You never used to smile anymore, but now you smile more. I'm glad. It suits you too." Ed's grin widened and Winry reveled in the realization that he was smiling for her.

Ed didn't hesitate as he found his head leaning towards Winry's, his eyes trained on her lips. He paused when he was close enough to feel her soft breath on his lips and watched as her eyelids lowered slightly before she made eye contact with him.

Ed froze and then pulled away from the laughing blonde quickly. He cursed his stomach for ruining the moment and it growled loudly again in return.

"Let's go eat." Winry insisted as she appeared by his side, tugging his flesh arm lightly. Ed followed her sadly; he was pretty sure that she simply pitied him for his stomach's ignorance.

Winry piled as much food onto Ed's plate as she could. If that was the only thing stopping him then she would destroy everything in her path to him. Ed watched in slight fear as Winry charged around the food tent, her eyes ablaze with something.

When she handed him his food and demanded he finish it quickly so they could go for a walk Ed hesitated slightly. But that didn't stop Winry, and neither did the slight choking sound he made as she forcefully fed him the first few bites.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry kicked a loose stone angrily. Her plan didn't go so smoothly; Ed had in fact eaten too much and he could barely walk with her when they had started out down the forest path. Now they sat side by side in a clearing only a couple of feet away from the trail, but as long as they were sitting no one would be able to see them.

It was private, it was quiet, it was beautiful and Ed's stomach ruined it again; this time with Winry's help. She pouted angrily as Ed once again groaned at his indigestion. Plan "Destroy Everything That Resists the Natural Flow of My Love" didn't seem to work well for Winry.

Ed sighed unhappily and lolled his head to the side for a better look at the girl beside him; she was clearly upset. He sighed again, "I'm not good at this stuff…" He mumbled to himself in self-pity and slight anger.

"Me neither." Winry whispered angrily as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her shins tightly.

Ed blushed lightly at her response but only grew even angrier with himself. "You weren't supposed to hear that." He admitted grudgingly and she giggled lightly, the color returning to her cheeks.

They remained in silence for a little while before Ed spoke up. "I'm feeling a little better now, we can walk if you'd like." He shivered involuntarily at his tone and choice of words; he was becoming Al, he was sure of it.

To his surprise, Winry didn't comment. "No, it's nice here." She gasped softly and grabbed Ed's arm before pointed excitedly at the middle of the clearing and whispered excitedly, "Fireflies." She whispered, mesmerized.

Ed grinned before getting up and pulling her up with him. Holding her hand loosely in his own, Ed slowly walked into the group of fireflies and they flew up above them before twirling back around them.

Winry's excited giggled caused him to tear his eyes away from the twinkling light hanging around him. She stood with her hands outstretched and three fireflies danced happily across her palms.

The light they emitted was reflected in the cerulean pools she possessed and Ed soon found himself drowning in their watery depths. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her closer to him and bent his head down towards her awaiting lips.

Fireflies long forgotten, Winry raised her hands up around Ed's neck and shoulders as his rough lips secured themselves onto her own silken lips. Her mind buzzed excitedly as memories of their previous and quick kisses danced teasingly in her mind; they were nothing like what she was experiencing now.

Soon the images blurred into each other and the only thing Winry could focus on was the handsome man in her arms and in her heart. He felt so alien to her, yet at the same time being in his arms felt like home. She felt miserably blissful, as though an ecstatic sadness had settled itself over her. Everything was so rightfully wrong and she had never been more lost in her life as she found herself melting into him.

Ed's heart fluttered dangerously as her soft lips glided over his own. It wasn't like in the books and it wasn't like in the movies but it was wonderful in its own way. He didn't get shivers down his spine because the warm body that was pressed against him prevented it. He wasn't necessarily lost in her because she was what led him home.

Her lips were a foreign thing but Ed adapted, just like he adapted to all the foreign countries and cities he had been in. He memorized every millimeter of her lips with his own and every single scent that she possessed as he stood there with the woman who loved him, the woman he loved.

Pulling away, Ed stared into her half-lidded eyes and took in the sight of her bruised-red lips and flushed skin. Rubbing his thumb lightly over her cheek, Ed tried to fight the contented smile that twitched the corner of his lips up.

"Ed…" She whispered as his thumb traced the swell of her lips.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Her deliciously warm skin contrasted with the cold feeling Ed felt as he prepared himself to speak.

'_Just say it. You can't be afraid of her. Say it damnit!'_ Ed's conscience scolded him as he fought to find his voice. This was a perfect moment, if he said he loved her she wouldn't turn away; he knew that, she had told him herself that she loved him.

"Winry, I lo-"

"Brother! It's time to go!" Al called into the forest as he and Nelly walked up the trail.

Ed looked up just as Nelly pointed at them and he quickly stepped away from Winry, heading over to his brother while Nelly gossiped with Winry.

Winry fought from murdering the girl in front of her. He had been so close to saying it! The sweet words her ears longed to be blessed with. She stared at his back as they walked; absently taking part in the conversation Nelly was basically taking part in by herself.

She had caught Ed glancing back at her over his shoulder twice now. The first time he had blushed and looked away, walking slightly faster, and the second time he smiled lightly before whipping back around and engaging Al in conversation.

**..+..-----------------------------..+..**

When Nelly left and Al asked why the two were so quiet, Winry blamed it on fatigue and Ed simply shrugged it off. Thankfully, Al took the bait and they all headed up to bed without argument.

As Winry left the bathroom, Ed headed towards it. She smiled up at him shyly as he walked by, but he didn't seem to notice. Disappointed, she turned to speak to him but was met with Ed's cold eyes before he slammed the door closed on her face.

"Ed…?" She called through the door. When she received no response she dragged herself back to bed, trying to convince herself that he was just tired or that al had been questioning him and now he was upset. But for some reason, the sharp aching in her heart wouldn't cease and she fell into her bed in a mass of muffled sobs and angry curses.

Sliding down the bathroom door, Ed sighed pathetically as Winry's heartbroken voice called his name through the door. He bit into his hand to keep himself from responding and finally released the flesh when her bedroom door closed.

Ed stared at his bleeding hand for a moment before getting up and washing it off in the sink. Washing off his face, Ed looked up into the mirror in front of him.

Angry eyes peered at him through soppy, blonde bangs. '_She is probably upset with me and didn't want to talk to me now.'_ Ed concluded gloomily as he continued to stare at his reflection. Glaring at his image, Ed ran his hand down his face and across his jaw line before angrily turning around and muttering, "Great, now I'm vain."

Leaning against the sink, Ed sighed miserably again and hung his head low. "I should probably avoid her…" he decided half-heartedly. "Maybe if I just talk it out with her…Ah! I need a sign or something."

As if on cue, the sink beneath Ed jerked downwards quickly with a snap and Ed whipped his head up in alarm. "What the-?" Before Ed could finish his statement, the sink gave way under his weight and came crashing to the bathroom floor.

"Brother!" Al called out of his room and hurried towards the bathroom. When he didn't receive a response Al threw open the bathroom door to find his brother in a pile of ceramic and dust. "Brother…?"

"Edward Elric what have you done to my washroom!" Pinako cried out as she shoved Al aside and glared menacingly at Ed.

"Auntie, I just-"

"You're just going to buy a new one tomorrow, that's right! And you're also going to install it yourself. No alchemizing!" Pinako commanded angrily before bidding the brothers goodnight and returning to her room.

When Ed had cleaned up most of the dust and debris he realized that Winry hadn't come out her room to see what happened. As he made the return trip to his room, he spared a glance at Winry's room. The door was slightly ajar and the lights were off.

Sighing in disappointment, Ed collapsed onto his bed and dug deeper into his sheets. Rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling, Ed once again glanced out his room towards Winry's bedroom door.

His view was obscured by Al's figure in the doorway. "Goodnight Brother." He called happily before trotting off to his own room.

"G'night Al…" Ed muttered sleepily as he kept his eyes trained on her bedroom door. "G'night…Winry…" Yawning deeply, Ed's eyelids fluttered closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: This chapter took so long! I'm sorry guys; I had a bit of writer's block. I'm so happy that I'm edging closer and closer to completing this story! Only SIX more chapters to go!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	15. Summer: Sanity

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Summer: Sanity

Chapter 15

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Winry grimaced slightly as Ed passed by her without a glance. Turning to watch his retreating back, Winry sighed miserably before flopping onto the couch.

Curses, hammering and the screech of metal against metal rang out through the house as Ed once again attempted to manually fix the sink. Despite her current mood, Winry smiled softly as she though of Ed's attempts of fixing the sink.

First he had bought one that was too large, then one that was too small, and when he finally got one that was the right size, the pipes weren't the correct size! On top of that, he had so many dents in his automail arm that Ed had decided to wear a heavy-duty automail glove to prevent injury to his flesh hand.

They had gotten a lot of money from those recent repairs...although…every time Winry had been working on his arm he wouldn't even look at her unless it was a questioning glare when she paused in her work.

Growling slightly in annoyance, Winry jumped off the couch and swung around towards the stairs. Glaring furiously at the upper level, Winry stomped across the room towards the first step.

"Winry, come and help me with dinner." Pinako suggested from the kitchen. She knew where he granddaughter was headed and she knew that nothing good would come from it.

"Alright, when I come back." Winry insisted as she continued towards the stairs.

"Now, Winry." Sighing in defeat, Winry grudgingly turned back towards the kitchen at her grandmother's firm response.

"Okay, Granny…"

Winry watched dully as the blade she was cutting carrots with narrowly missed her finger once…twice…three times…

"Winry, put down that knife." Rolling her head towards the old woman, Winry stared at her. "Don't let Edward bother you." She said before turning her attention back to the pot on the stove.

"How can I not…?" Winry asked aloud as she continued to cut the vegetables viciously.

Eyeing the brutally smashed vegetables, Pinako decided it was better to intervene now rather then later. "Well, maybe you did something wrong…?" She suggested as she stepped towards the slaughtered vegetables.

"I never do anything wrong to people!" Winry insisted as she flung the knife across the kitchen. Pinako winced as it landed tip-first in the wall, dangerously close to a picture of the eldest Elric.

"Your aim never disappoints me, my dear." Pinako commented as she removed the knife from the wall and washed it off before taking over the vegetable job.

"Hmm…Maybe I should re-introduce Ed to my wrench…" The blonde wondered absently as she twirled a screw in her palm.

Pinako paused in her chopping to take a slow puff from her pipe. Exhaling slowly, she gave Winry a suggestion. "Why don't you try apologizing anyways? It might cheer up the squirt."

Winry nodded gently as she let the thought tumble around in her mind before she spoke. "What if he doesn't accept my apology?" she muttered gloomily.

"I'm pretty damn sure that he will but if the need arises, there is always the Fall Festival that's coming up."

Considering this carefully, Winry headed out of the kitchen. Grabbing an apple out of the basket before going through the door, she turned towards the front door and put on her boots. The wind flirted with her hair briefly before passing on its way as she opened the door.

Stepping out into the warm summer air and seating herself on the first step, Winry took a deep bite of her shiny red apple. She barely batted an eyelash as the juice rolled off her lip and down her chin.

"The Fall Festival, huh…?"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"The Fall Festival…?" Ed murmured as he tightened a bolt near one of the sink's pipes. "Why would I bother going to that?"

"Winry wants to go and Nelly and I are going. Come on, brother! It will be fun." Al pleaded for the third time. He was getting tired of repeating himself, but apparently he was making some process.

Originally the idea of going to the Fall Festival was Pinako's idea, and after a short, diabolical meeting the tow of them had decided it would be the perfect place to get Ed and Winry together. Pinako was to tell Winry about the idea and Al was supposed to tell Ed.

One of them had to give in, or so they thought.

"Why do I care if that machine freak wants to go?" Ed muttered sadly as he once again tightened the same bolt.

"Brother, you're a jerk."

"What!" Ed roared. He whirled around to face his brother and pulled the wrench too tightly in the process. Ed spun around to face the pipe again as it groaned audibly and shook fiercely. "A-Al…"

Turning to where his brother had previously standing, Ed found the space to be empty.

"Brother! Run!" Al called from the hallway.

"That's my line, you bastard!" Ed yelled as he slammed the door shut and ran down the stairs after his brother.

A loud crash and the sound of splintering wood tumbled down the stairs after them and they lay in a panting mass of limbs on the floor.

"Elrics…" Pinako's voice boomed from the kitchen as she stomped towards them. "What have you done!"

Grinning sheepishly at the old woman, the two Elric brothers scurried back up the stairs and went to inspect the damage.

"T-T-The door, too?" Ed gaped at the splintered remains of the door. "How could some stupid, exploded pipe do that much damage!" He whined as he kicked a particularly large piece of wood.

Lifting away another large piece of wood, Al winced at the sight he was greeted with. "And the wall too, brother." Al moaned as he inspected the smashed-in wall.

The familiar click of a pipe against teeth pulled the boys' attention from the damage and towards the small woman in front of them. "A sink, a door and a wall. Well, well, it looks like you boys owe me a favor."

Al's face paled visibly and he jumped into the conversation. "Well, Granny, you know how Ed is; always reckless! He just popped open that pipe and I had to save him from it. Terrible, terrible incident but I'm sure he'll gladly complete your favor to make up for it. Right, brother?" He asked from Pinako's side, grinning nervously and taking an extra step back just in case.

"Al! You little-!"

"Well, that's very good of you Al." Pinako said, turning to him and giving him a wink of reassurance before he raced down the stairs and out the front door. "Well, Edward it looks like you're going to do me a favor. In return, I'll fix everything myself and you just have to pay fro the damages, alright?"

Nodding numbly, Ed watched the evil grin spread across the wrinkled face. "What do you want…?" he muttered helplessly as the old woman removed her pipe from her weathered lips.

"You are going to take my granddaughter to the Fall Festival." She chirped happily before replacing the pipe into her mouth.

"The Fall Festival…?"

"You've heard of it, haven't you?" She inquired innocently.

"Well, I guess, but-"

"Good, then you will be taking Winry to that. Make sure to be kind to her and show her a good time." She nodded in agreement with herself and started down the stairs. "Oh, and if I find out you're not going to be doing my little favor, you'll pay the consequences."

Ed gulped slowly and stared at the empty space where she had threatened him just moments before. "Why me…?" He muttered and flopped backwards onto the floor. "Ah! Shit! Splinter! Splinter!"

Winry's head rose from the herbs Al was proudly showing her. "Was that Ed screaming?"

Al shivered unconsciously and turned to Winry while a large, reassuring and fake smile. "No worries! Nothing would happen to Ed that could be all that bad." Internally, Al's heart jumped into his throat. His brother was going to murder him later.

Winry's sigh caught the younger Elric's attention and he turned his head slightly to look at her sad expression.

Maybe his brother was going to murder him, but he couldn't allow his oldest friend to suffer so terribly from his brother's stupidity.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Glaring at the sky defiantly, Edward Elric moped about the days events. Pinako had asked, actually scratch that, _threatened_ him that if he didn't take Winry to the Fall Festival she would get him to completely re-do the washroom.

She had decided to change her mind about the favor later that afternoon, Ed remembered dully as he leaned back on his forearms.

He switched his glare form the blue expanse above him, to the metal and flesh feet that were attached to legs, of the same material as the feet, stretched out and crossed at the ankles

Twitching one flesh toe then one metal toe in turn, Ed refocused his thoughts to Pinako's proposal. So he was to take Winry to this Fall Festival thing?

Ha! Not happening! He heard there was a dance for one of the Festival's celebrated days. He had had enough dancing for one year, thank you very much!

Not to mention the fact that he had avoided Winry's wrath very nicely since the Lake party. '_Parties every season are just too much trouble_.' Ed thought grudgingly as he uncrossed and re-crossed his feet.

"Edward! Come join us inside! We've got the air-conditioning to work!" Pinako cried out the window.

Ed fought from shaking the woman to death. She got the air-conditioning started _now_! It was almost the end of summer, and she only got it to work _now_!

Angrily, Ed stood up and stomped into the house, fully prepared to yell at the woman. What he wasn't prepared for, however, was for the very woman he had been trying to avoid to be sitting in the middle of the living room floor, right in front of the air-conditioner and his yelling target.

Making a frustrated sound, Ed flopped onto the couch and made himself comfortable, glaring at the ceiling, floor, chair, couch…anywhere but the two evil women in front of him.

"So, Edward…have you got any plans for the autumn season?" Pinako inquired innocently, too innocently.

"No." He replied gruffly, glaring at her.

She ignored this and moved her attention to the other female in the room. "What about you Winry? Any plans? Any boys taking you out?"

Ed grunted arrogantly and crossed his arms, looking at Winry expectantly. Winry glanced at him quickly before looking down again. "Not really, no."

His chest deflated as he released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Of course she wouldn't do that, she wasn't a jerk like he was. He made a mental note to slap himself very hard for that thought. He was supposed to be the one in the right, not her!

"Who would she go with anyways? There's no one but me and Al around." Ed muttered huffily.

"Al and I," Winry commented.

"What?"

"It's 'Al and I' not 'Me and Al'," she explained without looking at him. She knew he was already moping; she didn't need to see it to confirm it. "You'll need good manners if you take a girl out anywhere this autumn."

Ed rose out of his position to glare at her. "Why do I care?" he snapped violently, before resettling himself into the cushions.

"It doesn't matter if you care or not, you should be able to ask a girl out to an event graciously." Pinako's cranky voice boomed at him; it was clearly a hint.

Ed sighed dramatically as he slouched further into the couch and pointedly turned away from Pinako's threatening stare. That didn't seem to faze her too much, though.

"Have you kids heard about the Fall Festival?" she continued to hint.

"Granny, I live here. Of course I've heard of it." Winry replied dryly as she continued to flip through the automail booklet that hung loosely in her hands.

Ed had to turn back at that one, it was just too obvious; she was telling him in 'Pinako language' that "You'd better ask my granddaughter to that thing in the next few days or you will be missing more than just the usual two limbs."

Sighing heavily again, he turned his gaze towards Winry; she looked mad. Mad Winry plus extremely unnerved Edward did not go well, which of course meant that it would be best to ask her to the Fall Festival some other time.

"Well, considering the circumstances and atmosphere it seems as though asking anything from anyone is totally out of the question so I'll just have to go help Al with his kittens." Forcing out some deranged laughter, Ed got up and stalked over to the door. "What a shame! I really wanted to be here, but I promised Al!" Slamming the door shut behind him, Ed bolted down the dirt path in front of him and disappeared down the hill.

Winry rounded bright, accusing eyes towards the suspiciously innocent eyes across from her.

"Granny…"

"Den! Where did that dog go! Oh, he's so much trouble. Honestly Winry you should take better care of him. Well, it looks like I have to go look for him. I haven't seen him since the morning, have you Winry?"

Winry raised a blonde eyebrow. "Well actually, Granny-"

"Exactly, well I'll just go out looking for him right now." With that said, the old woman marched out of the room and out the door.

A curious whine was emitted from behind the couch Pinako had just passed by. Peeking over it, Winry was greeted with Den's greatly confused eyes.

Plopping down beside the dog, Winry sighed exhaustedly and petted him absently. "It looks like Al, you and I are the only sane ones."

"Mr. Kitty! Come back! I need to wrap you in the decorating paper! Mr. Kitty!"

A grey kitten streaked down the stairs and out the partially opened back door and Al dashed after it, armed with Christmas wrapping paper and a bow.

Closing her eyes against the fast-approaching migraine, Winry slumped down against the back of the couch.

"Then again…" She shook her head of the dizzy feeling. "…maybe not."

Den looked up at her sympathetically and licked her hand comfortingly. She only shook her head in denial and continued to try to force back the headache that threatened to consume her head.

The door opened and Ed stumbled inside, breaking Winry's concentration. She watched him from the edge of the couch as he cautiously scoped the area for any signs of Pinako or Al.

She expected him to see her, since he was supposed to have fought the most sneaky villains in all of Amestris.

Apparently not, though. "Ugh! I can't ask Winry to the Fall Festival! It's too hard."

Pulling herself up and onto the couch, Ed shrieked in surprise and embarrassment; a strange mix for the alchemist.

He eyed her angrily before shouting, "Don't hide in strange places and eavesdrop on people!"

Closing her eyes again, Winry replied calmly. "I wasn't hiding, I was petting Den. And it doesn't count as eavesdropping if you're shouting out your frustration."

She tried to suppress the triumphant giggled that wanted to escape as she heard Ed opened and closing his mouth in apparent shock. He settled for muttering curses as he marched into the room and sat stiffly on the couch beside her.

An uncomfortable silence hung around them and Winry fumbled for the words she wanted to say.

"It's not really that hard." She blurted out. Silently damning herself to a thousand years in hell, Winry clenched her fists tightly in her lap.

"What?" Ed asked lazily.

"It's not that hard." Winry repeated.

"No, I heard you, but what do you mean?"

Sighing in mock-annoyance, Winry smiled softly. "It isn't that hard to ask me to the Fall Festival." She looked at Ed and recognized the cocky smirk that was forming.

"Oh really?" He asked arrogantly.

"Yup." She nodded as extra emphasis.

"Then how would I go about doing it?"

"Simple. You just have to say 'Winry, will you go to the Fall Festival with me?' and then that's it." She turned to him expectantly.

"Hmm…" He scratched his chin thoughtfully before turning to her and grinning evilly. "Winry, will you go to the Fall Festival with me?"

It was his turn to stare at her expectantly. Why was she taking so long to answer? His smile faltered slightly. What if it wasn't even Winry in front of him? What if it was Envy, back from the dead!

Ed refocused his attention to her as she rose off the couch and turned to him. He felt his entire body freeze as she spoke.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Al grumbled in frustration as he nudged open the front door. He had spent the whole afternoon searching for the cat and it was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't like he was going to harm it. He was just going to create a collar out of the Christmas paper and add the bow to it. The idea was supposed to make the cat look cute, not make the cat run for its life!

He kicked off his boots and walked into the quiet, empty living room.

Upon arrival, Al realized the living room wasn't quite as empty as he thought. His older brother was sitting on the couch with an expression that resembled complete horror plastered to his face.

"Brother?" He questioned lightly. Could something have happened to Pinako and Winry while he was away?

The steady sound of a hammer and blow-torch pushed away those thoughts and he proceeded to wait patiently for his brother's answer.

He didn't have to wait long, but he had to strain to hear the mumbled words his brother formed.

"S-She…she said…she said maybe." Ed whispered in horror as he sat on the couch, paling as the memory resurfaced. "I can't believe that woman said…maybe." He spat out the last word with a little more emotion.

"Uh…Brother?" Al asked hesitantly as Ed rose from his seat and stomped towards the stairs.

"Oi! Winry! What do you mean 'maybe'!" was the last thing Al could properly hear before a series of curses and loud crashes echoed throughout the house and Ed returned to the couch with a few fresh bruises.

Blinking rapidly at the spot his brother had been was tenderly nursing, Al slowly turned back towards the front door and slipped his boots back on.

"Maybe I should go and look for Mr. Kitty again…"

"Don't say 'maybe' around me!" Ed shouted angrily and Al sped up the process of retreating out of the house.

Den looked up as the door slammed closed and then looked over lazily at the fuming blonde.

"What do you want, Den?" He shouted angrily.

The dog whimpered slightly and returned to his sleep. Humans were too insane anyways.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Don't give up hope, guys! I'm not abandoning the story, but I'm pretty busy so updates could take 3-4 days. Sorry for the delay in chapters, but they're coming!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	16. Autumn: Secrets

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Autumn: Secrets 

Chapter 16

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Lucky enough for Ed, Winry had relented to his constant whining and protesting and quickly divulged him with her real answer. Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

'_Yes._'

"Yes!"

"Ed?"

"Yeah! Ha! In your face, Al! Mwuahaha! You can't beat the Fullmetal Alchemist! It's I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E! What does that spell, Winry?"

"Ed…"

"I _said_, what does that spell, Winry?"

"Impossible…"

"Exactly!"

"Brother…"

"Ed…"

Winry and Al exchanged nervous glances as Ed continued to dance around the poker table they had set up. Sighing in defeat, Al pushed his chair away from the table and headed outside.

"Where are you going, Al! I want to beat you again! Come back here! That's it-!"

"Edward Elric, sit down right _now_!" Winry shouted at him. She watched in satisfaction as he nervously skittered over to his seat and looked up at her with large, innocent eyes. "Don't give me that look."

Dropping his mask of innocence, Edward cursed softly and scowled at the cards sprawled out on the table. He watched her from the corner of his eye and when she turned around he stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

"I can see you."

Screaming in shock, Edward jumped out of his seat and pointed at the back of her head. "Y-You…you MONSTER!"

"Edward, don't be stupid, I'm in front of the hall mirror."

"Oh…Well it's time for a walk!" The blonde alchemist shouted as he bounded out the front door, completely forgetting the boots that were still tucked away neatly beside the door.

"What's wrong with the midget?" Winry turned at the sound of her grandmother's voice.

"I'm not sure; he's been really weird lately." She glanced back at the door and lowered the eyebrows she hadn't known were raised. "But extremely weird today…"

"Maybe he's just nervous." Winry's ear twitched as she surrendered to her curiosity and gave Pinako a gesture to continue. "Well, the first day of the festival is tomorrow and-"

"Tomorrow?" The lemon-blonde girl asked, pushing away from the mirror to stare at her grandmother.

"Yes, tomorrow; the market day. It starts awfully early, about 9:00, I believe. I hope you can finish that arm you've been working on by then, Winry. Winry?" Pinako grinded her teeth against the pipe that situated itself between her wrinkled lips and huffed angrily. "Fine then, don't listen to the kind elderly woman who-"

"Granny!" Winry whined as she slumped to the floor with a loud thud. "I don't know what to wear...!"

"So? You have a closet full of clothes, go look." Pinako pointed out as she collected the cards and returned them to the deck.

"It isn't that simple…"

Slamming the deck on cards onto the table, Pinako rounded on her granddaughter. "Winry don't be ridiculous!" All these crazy teens were starting to rub her the wrong way; they were being so ridiculously immature.

"I'm sorry…" Winry muttered as she sighed and pulled out a chair for herself. "I just want to look perfect so I know we'll both have a good time."

"He'll have a good time in your company even if you're wearing a sack of potatoes." Pinako chuckled lightly but stopped at the pleading look in the blue eyes in front of her. "No, it's true. He would! You should try today just in case."

"Granny!"

"I'm joking, sweetheart. Hmm…What to wear? Well, there's always your usual outfit, I mean, it _is_ just the market day. Ed probably won't be getting dressed up, he probably wouldn't even think of it!"

The teenage mechanic smiled ruefully and looked up at Pinako. With a small laugh she got up from the table. "Yeah…you're right Granny. Thanks!" She called over her shoulder as she hurried up the stairs in excitement.

Pinako sighed happily and planted herself in a comfortable chair. "Peace and qui-!"

"AUNTIE PINAKO!" Al catapulted through the door, slamming it against the wall and stomping into the house, leaving dirty footprints across the floor.

Pinako removed her glasses and began cleaning them on her apron. "Yes, Al…?" Her voice was slightly strained as she contained herself from whacking the boy over the head with a blowtorch.

'_But it isn't his fault._' Pinako reassured herself, calming her flexed muscles.

"Auntie!" Al whined in an unusually high-toned voice. "I don't know what to wear to the first day of the festival." He whispered his silent plea in a rushed breath of air.

"Just wear your normal clothes." The old woman stated as though it were as plain as a white piece of paper. At the suspicious glare from her ward, she decided to elaborate. "It's just the first day of the market; where every goes into town and they have carts and booths set up for fresh farmer's products and some nice clothes, jewelry-"

"So it's like a market?"

"That would be why it's called the Market Day, yes, Al."

"Oh, okay. Bye Auntie!" Al shouted as he hurried up the stairs as well.

"Finally…Peace and qui-!"

"Auntie! I don't know what to wear to impress Winryy!"

Pinako slumped in defeat, replacing her glasses on her nose with her fingertips as she massaged roughly. "Why, oh, why did all of you guys have to die? They're _your_ kids!" She muttered spitefully at the air as Ed continued to rant.

Grabbing a pen and paper, Pinako began to write furiously. Ed stopped shotuing to peek over her shoulder to see what she was doing, but quickly retreated as she slashed at him viciously with her pen.

After a few moments she threw down the pen and marched into the workroom, slamming the door behind her. Ed sat down and looked at the paper.

'_TOMORROW IS JUST THE MARKET DAY THERE IS NO NEED TO PULL OUT DRESSES AND TUXEDOS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT COLOUR TO WEAR JUST PICK ONE YOU LIKE. DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO NOT COME TO "AUNTIE PINAKO" OR "GRANNY" FOR ANY FASHION HELP OR SHE **WILL** HAND YOU A POTATO SACK_.'

Putting down the semi-threatening note, Ed carefully stood up from the table and stormed out the back door.

"Geez, what's up _her_ ass?"

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Pinako raised an eyebrow in amusement; surprisingly enough the three teenagers actually listened to her reasoning.

Al sported tan shorts, a blue button up and a white undershirt underneath. Sandals adorned his feet and he marched out of the house happily, pulling his brother behind him.

"Relax, Al! I'm coming!" As soon as the younger Elric let go of his arm, Ed trudged out the door in his black pants and black tank top. Winry had previously convinced him that it would be hard enough to stand the heat in even just the pants and the tank top, let alone the jacket that matched.

"Wait up!" Wearing her old black shirt and pale-green tank top, Winry bounced out the door after them. Turning around to wave at her grandmother she kneeled down to pet Den affectionately. "Don't worry, Den. I'll bring something back for you too."

"I might come along later but you don't have to look out for me, alright?" When the three teens nodded an affirmative she broke out into a wide grin and waved at them. "Now shoo! Go have fun!"

The short trip to the town wasn't very eventful and as soon as they met up with Nelly, she and Al parted ways with Ed and Winry.

Currently Ed wasn't exactly sure what was so great about the first day of the festival. All he could see were a bunch of wooden booths and baskets of fresh farm products.

Glancing over at the happy girl on his arm Ed sighed in surrender. But, she liked it, so why couldn't he?

"Ed! Look at these!" Expecting to see shining bolts and screw, Ed leaned over her shoulder. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Edward gaped at the flashing jewelry in front of him. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies…hell, even diamonds; all laid out in front of their eyes, twinkling in the morning sun.

Turning from the sparkling gems, to the expectant girl and back at the gems, Ed shook his head in disbelief and yanked his arm from the girl's.

"You," he paused, drawing in a deep breath, and continued, "are _not_ Winry Rockbell." With that said he promptly turned around and took a step forward before a familiar voice stopped him.

"You're just going to leave such a pretty young girl here?" Johnathon grinned impishly at Ed's back as he swung back around and grabbed Winry's arm.

"Even is you aren't Winry you're coming with me and _away_ from _him_!" Ed hissed as he tugged the girl along with him.

Winry made an exasperated noise and jumped out of the way of a woman who was in her path. "Ed, stop being stupid, you know it's me! And stop dragging me!" Throwing her arm down, Ed glared at her. "Oh come on Ed!"

"Prove you're Winry."

"First tell me why you're dead set against the fact that I am Winry."

"Because Winry doesn't like jewelry, she likes mechanical things." Ed stated, matter-of-factly.

"That is ridiculous. I'm female; of course I like some jewelry." At the unconvinced look on Ed's face, she continued sulkily. "I just like mechanical things more."

Ed held his glare for a few more seconds before releasing it and turning his back on her. "Fine! Where do you want to go then?"

Happiness renewed, Winry skipped to his side and linked arms with him. "There's a really nice mechanical booth they have here, oh and then there's also the bookstore that has a sale today…"

Her list of places to go continued and Ed nodded periodically to show he was paying attention. By the time they had completed her list, it was well past one o'clock and neither of them had had lunch yet.

As proof of that, Ed's stomach rumbled dangerously and he glanced at Winry sheepishly. Nodding her head in understanding she lead him to the food area of the make-shift market.

"They have sweets over there and drinks over there." Pointing at a pink booth and then a green booth, Winry continued. "On that side of the street there's mainly fancy and spicy foods, but the other side has less expensive and simpler foods. Where do you want to go?"

At the lack of response, Winry turned to the spot Ed had been previously occupying. A blonde eyebrow twitched in annoyance and Winry spun around to face the street.

Sure enough a black-clad blonde boy was darting in between the booths, a teetering pile of food situated on a large plate in the grasp of his right arm.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Winry grabbed a smaller plate than the one her childhood friend was brandishing, and went to her one of her favorite booths.

Once she had accumulated a fair size of different foods, Winry returned to the middle of the street where an annoyed alchemist stood tapping his foot impatiently.

"Don't just run off like that, Win!" Winry fought from dropping the plate in shock and opted for simply staring at him in disbelief. "Come on, I saw Al and Nelly go grab a bench, we can eat with them."

Fork in his mouth and plates in his hands, Ed strode into the group of benches and people. When they had found Al and Nelly they had immediately turned around, faces red with blushes.

"W-What are they _doing_!" Ed gasped as he righted the tilting plates in his hands.

"P.D.O.A." Winry said in amazement before glancing over her shoulder again.

"Don't look at them!" Ed insisted as he nudged Winry forward with his elbow. "Let's eat in one of the fields."

"Fields?"

"Just go!"

When they got out of town and settled onto a grassy hill, Winry turned to Ed. "Why a field?"

"Fields are nice." Ed managed to gargle out as he devoured the tremendous pile of food he had accumulated.

Winry had just gotten through half of her single plate when Ed burped loudly and collapsed onto the grass.

"Too much for you?" She commented playfully as she took another bite of the lemon chicken on her plate.

With another burp, Ed answered. "Nope. It was delicious!" He pouted slightly and continued. "But it was a little cold."

Swallowing her bite, Winry giggled softly. "What do you expect? You went on a three minute walk out of town to this place." She gestured to the open expanse of grass and turned back to him. "Of course it would have cooled down!"

Unsatisfied by her answer, Ed flopped back down into the grass and kicked off his boots. Folding his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh breeze that floated by.

"I love being here in Risembool." Winry sighed as the breeze flirted with her hair, sending some strands dancing in it's wake.

"Yeah, me too." Winry tried her best to ignore the slightly sad tone in Ed's voice. Ed, taking note of her reaction, rolled onto his side and propped his head up with one hand to look at her. "Would you ever leave Risembool?"

Surprised by his question, Winry put down her fork. "I'm not sure. If it was only for a few years, like for an apprentice job or something, maybe."

A thoughtful look took over Ed's features and he rolled onto his back again. "It's nice here, though."

Winry glanced down at the remains of her food before putting the plastic plate down beside her and joining Ed in the grass. "Mmhmm…" She murmured as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over her.

"It's good weather for the market today, don't you think?"

Winry's eyes popped open. Ed, talking about the weather? She must be already asleep. This was surely a dream…right?

"Y-Yes…" Winry stuttered out nervously, looking up at him in amazement.

Brows furrowed, Ed turned his head to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Winry immediately sobered and closed her eyes again, looking away. "Nothing." After thinking for a moment, Winry decided she had nothing to lose by pressing on. "Is there anything wrong with you?"

She didn't miss the hesitation before he had answered with a quiet "no" and immediately took interest in it.

"Are you sure?"

He didn't answer.

He _still_ wasn't answering.

He- was that a snore?

Just in case, Winry tried. "Ed your fake snoring sucks."

"Shut up." She grinned inwardly; for a genius he sure was stupid. "I was trying to sleep but you wouldn't stop staring at me."

"Well I asked you a question."

"Well I didn't hear it."

"Liar."

"You're the liar; you didn't ask me a question you just like staring at me."

"No! Don't change the subject you liar!"

"Oh, are you admitting to something?"

"Argh! See you're changing the subject! Just admit that you're a liar, you…you…LIAR!"

And this was how Al found his two childhood friends that evening. He couldn't believe they had missed almost four hours of the market to just lie there in the grass and yell at each other.

There was a strained silence between the two after Al had finally gotten them to shut up. He wasn't quite sure what was worse, the thick silence or the thin curses that were flying over his head previously.

He caught another one of Winry's murderous glares from the corner of his eye. As always they were directed at his brother, but this time they seemed to hold suspicion and maybe even a hint of sadness.

Swallowing the exhausted groan, Al fought from strangling his brother right there on the spot. How could he screw things up _again_?

No, he difinitely should have let them keep arguing, the silence was getting to him and if he didn't act soon Edward would wind up dead. Whether it be at his hands or Winry's wasn't the point.

"So why were you guys fighting anyways?" Yeah, real smooth. As if that would start a good conversation.

"Edward was lying to me, he's hiding something." Winry sniffed in distaste and hurried her steps.

Al could almost feel his brother's unease and slowed his steps to match Ed's. Once Winry was a out of ear-shot Ed spoke up.

"I have to tell you something important tonight."

Al cocked an eyebrow in response but only nodded. This was apparently very serious; something that he couldn't or didn't want to share with Winry had to be serious.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Four more chapters to go! It's getting closer and closer to drawing to a close. Reviews are always welcomed and ideas would be fun to toss around and may be used for the last few chapters.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	17. Autumn: Picturesque

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Autumn: Picturesque

Chapter 17

By: RomanceFanFicLover

"No!"

"Al, just drop it okay?"

"No! You can't do this, Ed."

"Would you just drop it?"

"Ed you can't, I'll never forgive you."

"Then don't!"

Winry watched as Ed stomped away from her view and Al followed him, still shouting negatives and threats.

"I wonder what's up with them." A whine near her left knee caught her attention. "Boys are crazy, ne Den?"

Reaching down a hand to pet the dog, Winry giggled softly when he licked it in return. With a short, heavy sigh she led Den out of the workroom and returned to the workbench.

"Brother, you _can't_."

"Al?"

"Yes, Brother."

"Drop it."

"No!"

"Oh Al, _please_ just shut up about it."

Slamming down her wrench in dismay, Winry got up and prepared the electric saw. At the moment she'd do anything to shut those two up. She sighed in relief as the saw drowned out the rest of their conversation. Sometimes those two really went at it and it was unbearable to endure their shouting matches.

"There, you see? No one wants to listen to you yelling at me! Just drop it, Al."

Hurrying upstairs, Ed made haste to alchemize his door shut and turn up the radio in the room. Just as he suspected, Al followed him and was now ruthlessly banging on his door.

Sighing, Ed flopped back into the fluffy comforter that Pinako had bought for all the rooms. It was girly, but it was nice to sleep in and muffle the noises of a persistent brother banging at your door.

He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't _that_ bad right? It wasn't that bad of an idea, I mean after all, he was a genius.

A gentle breeze floated through the slightly opened window and Ed breathed in the dancing autumn scents. Pumpkin was the dominating smell but there were underlying smells of cooked foods, cut grass, fresh rain to come and bursting autumn flowers.

Risembool really was a beautiful place. It would be a shame to leave. Ed sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He faintly realized that Al had left his door, but it didn't really matter at the moment…he was just so…tired.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Winry half sighed and half growled in annoyance. "Will you two just lay off whatever it is you're fighting about!" She slammed their plates of food down in front of them, but they ignored it and continued to glare at each other across the table. "Geez, you guys never grow up!"

She quickly returned to the kitchen to help her grandmother bring out bowls of food. Balancing three bowls in her arms, Winry stumbled back to the table and placed them down with a slight thud. She glared at the two of them in turn, they had already finished eating in the few seconds she was gone, yet they were still glaring.

"Would you like seconds?" She gave in, there was no stopping them. When they both nodded and blindly held out their plates, she sighed and refilled them. "I'll go get the potatoes."

When she reentered the kitchen, she turned to her grandmother. "Granny, they're hopeless." She threw up her arms in exasperation and took the bowl of potatoes and the dish of corn.

"There, there Winry. They might have matured, but that doesn't make them mature. Do you understand?"

She scowled and turned back to the dining room with a grumpy "No."

When she sat down and properly focused her eyes on the two of them, she almost dropped her fork in surprise. Al was glaring at Ed and Ed had resigned to poking his food. "Ed? Are you-?"

"I'm not hungry. Auntie Pinako can I be excused from the table?" This time she did drop her fork; Ed was using his manners to get _away_ from the table!

She glared at Al who looked slightly guilty, but still kept his glare on his brother. "Ed…"

Pinako calmly took Ed's plate and nodded with a sweet smile. "Of course Ed, just make sure you eat something later." He nodded and went into the living room.

Before Al could even blink innocently, both Winry and Pinako's devastating glares were upon him. "What did you do?" They both hissed at him.

Laughing nervously, he looked up at them. "May I please be excused from the-?"

"No!" Winry angrily chopped up her steak and Pinako plopped the salad onto her plate with a loud huff of annoyance.

The silence was suffocating, but Winry didn't care. She was too worried about Ed; so worried that she almost missed out on what Al had mumbled dejectedly at his plate. "I-It's just…Brother wants to do something that I think he shouldn't and-"

Pinako put her knife down forcefully, startling Al out of his confession. Her glare softened and she nodded reassuringly at him. "Don't worry, Al. Ed is old enough to make his own decisions. You don't have to, and shouldn't, try to aid him in his decisions and choices. Instead, you should support him in an understanding way; even if you don't like his decision."

Winry looked from her grandmother to Al, they seemed to have reached some kind of understanding but she was still lost. "What's going on?" She murmured suspiciously as the two resumed their meal.

The evening was just as uneventful and not even Al was choosing his outfit for the dinner and dancing that would be occurring the next night. Winry was incredibly bored, and she needed a distraction.

"Ed, I was thinking, do you want me to add metal heels to your boots? It could make you look less-shrimpish."

"I'm not short."

Well that was dull.

"Al have you decided what to wear to the second day of the Festival?" she tried instead.

He shook his head in a negative and reburied his nose in his book. Defeated, Winry looked over at Pinako. "Granny, do we have any work to do?"

"No, this week is sort of like a vacation because of the Festival. Don't you remember last year?"

Bowing her head, Winry shook her head in a negative; similar to Al's lifeless action. "I forgot." Sighing, Winry slumped down in her chair. Since when did these two get so…blah?

"Ed, want to go for a walk?"

"Sure."

Yes! Finally! Winry jumped up and grabbed Ed's arm pulling him towards the coat rack. Once she was done and he was half-done, she yanked him out the door and jumped out into the crisp night air.

Inside, Al turned sad eyes to Pinako. "Auntie, I don't think he should…"

Offering a small smile, Pinako readjusted her glasses. "They both need to grow up, Al. Don't underestimate Ed's choices." Al nodded in understanding and continued with his book.

Understanding had never been so hard; not even in the first years of their alchemy study.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

'_Maybe being inside and bored was better then being outside and bored_.' Winry thought sulkily as the five minute silence continued into a six minute silence. '_At least it's warmer inside.'_

"Winry?"

She blinked and turned to Ed who was looking off into the distance. "Yeah, Ed?"

She smiled in relief as he gave her a mischievous grin. "Want to go swing?" He pointed off in the distance where two sings were hung on a large tree. She nodded enthusiastically and he grabbed her hand, pulling her with him.

Winry tried to concentrate on her relief rather then the tingling sensation that flew up her arm at the contact of his hand. When that didn't work, she tried to concentrate on the cool wind that bit at her cheeks as they ran down to the tree. It worked a little better, but a blush was still lingering on her face when he let go and hopped on one of the swings.

They swung together, laughing and remembering past times, happier times. When the laughter wound down and their lungs were too tired to even continue giving their bodies enough energy to swing properly, they sat together and let the wind push them lightly.

Suddenly, Ed laughed again. "I can't remember the last time I was on a swing." He grinned up at the sky, eyes sparkling with the light of the moon.

She looked up as well, a small smile playing with her lips. "Me neither." He looked at her in surprise. "I've been so busy, trying to improve my automail skills and worrying about you and Al all the time. There was no time to even think about swinging."

He nodded in understanding and pushed himself lightly with his feet. She giggled and he looked at her. "What?" He continued pushing off against the ground and she giggled harder. He glared at her. "What?"

When her giggles wound down, she looked up at him. "I remember when you couldn't touch the ground on the swings and you got mad at Al because he could." His glare intensified and he pushed off the ground triumphantly.

Her grin faltered as a thought ran across her mind.

"Hey, Ed?"

He stopped swinging at the hesitance in her voice. "Yeah?" He watched as she slowly began to swing again, her head bowed.

"You don't like the past very much, do you?"

He thought about it for a minute, playing with the thought and looked at her questioningly. "No, I don't. Why?"

She ignored him and continued swinging. Scowling, he got up and grabbed the ropes of her swing. She glared at him and he glared back as he began twisting the ropes around each other.

Winry gasped as she realized what he was doing, "Ed! Don't…" It was too late and she span around wildly and he un-twirled the rope. "...spin me...!"

He grinned as he watched her golden hair flying about and her laughter rang out into the night. When she stopped, he grabbed a hold of the rope and glared at her. "Are you going to tell me why now?"

She giggled and grinned up at him. "Nope!"

The spinning continued until Winry couldn't take it anymore and collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" She gulped the air around her, trying to calm her searing lungs and pounding heart.

He lay back in the grass beside her, gazing up at the stars. "Well? Come on, tell me." He glared at her as she closed her eyes and rested her head on her arms.

"Hmm…not yet." She smothered a yawn with one hand and took Ed's usual sleeping position. She yawned again but stopped as Ed poked her in her belly, leaning over her with a glare.

"Tell me."

His tone was serious but his smile was playful. She nodded and yawned once more before explaining. "You don't talk about your memories and stuff like that. You only live in the present and the future."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing is wrong with it. It's just…do you still remember anything? Or have you forgotten it?"

Ed leaned off his arm and lay down beside her again, heaving a thoughtful sigh. "Well…people never really forget anything. They can't recall it quickly if they don't frequently think about it, though. That's sort of what my memories are like. They're there but they area a bit dusty and dulled."

"Oh! Like an old photograph!" She turned to him, grinning, and he smiled back at her.

"Yeah, like an old photograph."

The silence that settled over them was comfortable and they watched the stars in a peaceful trance. After a few minutes, Winry smiled softly and pointed out the little dipper. Ed pointed out the big dipper, happy that he had found the bigger version.

They fell into silence again and Winry thought over Ed's previous words. '_Like photographs…'_ She closed her eyes as a warm breeze unexpectedly drifted by them.

"I like photographs."

He snorted. "I thought you liked automail."

"I can like automail _and_ photographs! Honestly Ed, you're such a simpleton."

He snorted again and changed the position of his legs before speaking again. "Why do you like photographs?"

Winry smiled, she had been waiting for him to ask that. "Because they keep memories so that they never get dusty and dull. Because they keep a person with you. I guess, because they make people happy; just like automail."

He snorted yet again and she glared at him before snapping, "If you keep doing that you're going to get snot on yourself." He grimaced at that but refrained from snorting again; just in case.

The next hour or so was spent in relative silence and stargazing. A cold breeze bit at Winry's hands and she shivered before turning to Ed. "Hey, Ed? What time is it?"

He grunted and shrugged. "Late?"

"Shouldn't we go inside?" He grunted again and closed his eyes. "Ed…!" He snored lightly, but she knew it was fake. She stood up and went to crouch at his side. "Idiot!" She elbowed him on teh head and his eyes popped open immediately.

"Ow! What the hell!" He snarled at her as she stood up, holding his injured head in his hands.

She stomped her foot in annoyance. "I'm cold! Bring me home!"

He shot a deadly glare at her. "You're big enough, you can go by yourself!" He shouted, getting up to stand in front of her.

She gasped with an offended expression before returning to a glare. "Did you just call me fat!" She hissed angrily.

"Argh! Forget it, just walk!" He yelled as he threw his hands up in the air in annoyance.

The argument was quick, friendly and very familiar. Winry laughed and grinned at him, latching onto his arm. "Okay!"

He looked at her and raised his eyebrow a bit. "Stupid Machine Freak."

"Short Alchemy Geek."

"That's it! You're walking home by yourself!" He let go of her arm and stomped off away from her.

She pulled out a carefully hidden wrench and chased after him. "How can you just leave a girl to walk home alone at night! You have no manners or common sense Edward Elric!"

Although she seemed extremely upset on the outside, she was incredibly relieved on the inside. Whatever happened between him and Al was probably not very important but it disrupted the balance of everything inside the house. So maybe, just maybe, their little walk was enough to lift Ed's spirits. If she could do that, she felt she could do anything.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: I finally updated! –tears of joy- It took so long! But I did it! Hmm, but what could Ed be up to? –evil author grin-**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	18. Autumn: A Sense of Foreboding

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Autumn: A Sense of Foreboding

Chapter 18

By: RomanceFanFicLover

After a nice night out with Winry, and a large midnight snack that she had prepared for him, Ed had felt ready to face anything when he woke up in the late afternoon. That is, until he remembered what day it was. When he glimpsed the semi-formal clothes that were splayed out on the chair across the room, all confidence was drained from him just as the blood drained from his face at the note taped to the shoes on the chair.

'_Dear Ed, you better have remembered how to dance because Winry is ready to dance the night away at the dinner and dance party tonight. Don't forget to tuck in your shirt and comb your hair. Don't disappoint me **or** her. If you do…Just know that you've been warned you midget brat! Love, Auntie Pinako.'_

With a groan, he collapsed onto the bed again. "Scary…" He muttered before clenching his eyes shut, willing sleep to claim him and take him away from the awaiting nightmare of the upcoming dance.

"Ed!"

He was waiting for sleep to come and claim him, **sleep**, not **brothers**!

"Ed!"

Damnit all; the voice was getting closer. He loved Al, really he did, but he was such a pain sometimes. And with that thought in mind, Ed watched as the door was flung open and Al's excited figure was placed inside the open space.

"Brother! They're going to have so much food at the dinner festival tonight! You should see the sample menu that Winry has! Oh, they have my favorites _and_ your favorites. They even have those little cakes that Mom used to make…"

Maybe he could knock himself unconscious with that big bowl over there while Al was going over the details of the night…

"…oh and they- What are you doing, Brother?" Al stared at his elder brother as he repeatedly whacked himself with the large ceramic bowl from his bedside table. "You're going to hurt yourself that way! You could fall unconscious or something."

"He's too hard headed for that, Al."

"Auntie!"

Ed groaned again and let the bowl fall form his hands and cover his head with a loud thud of the inside hitting his skull.

"See? He didn't even flinch."

"Shut up you old hag."

"Ed!"

"Stupid midget brat."

"Miniature wrinkled bothersome woman!"

"Tiny alchemist punk."

"Auntie! Brother! Stop it!" When they both 'hmp'ed in agreement, Al continued. "Brother, it's almost four o'clock so you need to get ready." He turned to the elderly woman beside him. "Auntie, that man from this morning is coming by around six o'clock to get his automail arm and Winry told me that you haven't finished yet."

The short woman let out a colorful string of words and hobbled out of the room quickly but poked her head back into the room to warn Al. "Ed doesn't want to dance again, so you're going to have to push him into his clothes." After a thoughtful pause, she added, "Maybe even bathe the pathetic soul." She ducked back out the door as a pillow hurtled towards her head and nearly knocked her pipe out of her mouth.

"Stupid old-" Ed didn't get to finish his mumbled complaints as the pillow he had thrown came flying back into the room and wedged itself into every crevice of his face with a loud smack.

"Brother, why don't you want to dance? Winry said when it came down to it you were a real natural." Al leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms, giving Ed a disappointed glance. Ed muttered as a response and rubbed his pillow-slapped nose. "Really, she said that. Not to mention the fact that we all know that Winry is really looking forward to going to this night of the festival."

Ed grumbled grumpily and slid his legs out of the tangled sheets. "So?"

"So? What do you mean 'so'?" When he didn't receive a response, he plowed on ahead. "Or is your attitude because you want to-"

The recently favored weapon slapped Al in his face. He could hear Ed fuming and when the pillow finally slipped off his face, the muffled white was replaced with Ed's angered face.

"I told you to lay off that topic, Al!"

Before Al could come up with a response, another two pillows were flung at him and he had to step back a couple steps from the surprising force of the blow. In the few seconds it took him to collect himself and the weapons, Ed had slammed the door and locked it, leaving Al in the hallway.

"Brother, you're a real jerk sometimes!"

"Shut up!"

A happy giggle floated to him and Al turned to see Winry at the end of the hallway with a hair brush and make-up bag in hand. "Having fun, Al?"

Despite his slightly dampened mood, Al smiled warmly at his childhood friend and rolled his eyes playfully. She giggled again and headed towards her room, but turned back to him before entering.

"Make sure you get dressed up nicely, okay? I saw Nelly's dress and I feel green with envy!"

Al couldn't help the slight tremor that raged through his body at the name; he had had enough of that palm-tree haired freak. He nodded and ignored the cold and clammy feeling as he turned to his own bedroom. "Alright, Winry."

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Lucky for both Winry and himself, Ed was ready to go by the scheduled time that Pinako had set for them all to be downstairs in the living room and ready to go, and that included Nelly too.

Winry had donned a semi-formal white and black dress with stringy straps on her shoulders and across her back in an "X" design. Her hair was being held up with an old clip, but she left her bangs and sideburns down to frame her slightly makeup-dusted face. She had removed most of the studs in her ears and left two large silver hoops in their place to bring out the silver lining on her dress and shoes. Ed had to admit that it took a lot of self-control to keep from openly gaping at her, although it took some added Al-control to close his half opened mouth.

Al was also having some trouble refraining from staring openly at his own date; Nelly had decided to wear a casual red and orange dress that had a form-fitting top and a loose skirt. Her shoes were plain black and she also had two large hoop earrings adorning her ears. Her hair was left down and straightened to ensure that it was extra flat and possessed not even a single hint of frizz.

Much to Ed's relief, Pinako did not insist on taking a couple dozen pictures of the four of them, but instead opted for trying to get them out of the house as soon as possible. However that relief was short lived.

"Smile, Ed!"

He swallowed the irritated sound that pleaded with him to immerge, and instead smiled softly as he stood next to a glowing Winry. When the flash went off, Winry rushed to Nelly's side to coo at the Polaroid picture that immerged from the camera.

"It's funny; I though that the parent figure was supposed to get all mushy with the pictures." Al nodded his agreement and they waited patiently for the girls to clear away the pink sparkles that seemed to float around them; which reminded them eerily of an old companion...

The quick walk was refreshing and the cool breeze helped soothe Ed's frazzled nerves. He wasn't exactly sure why, but the idea of this dinner was making him nervous—as though something bad was going to happen that night.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Dear Lord! I've been swamped with so many things and this chapter has been sitting on my computer for _ages_! It's a very small chapter and I'm sorry for that.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	19. Autumn: The Shine of Hope

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Autumn: The Shine of Hope

Chapter 19

By: RomanceFanFicLover

Despite Ed's nervousness, the dinner party was going rather well.

Al hadn't lied when he had told Ed about the menu; there was very many of his favorite foods splayed out before him on the large buffet table.

"Ed, stop drooling." Winry reprimanded happily as she handed him a plate and began choosing some food for herself.

Gathering his dignity, and jaw, Ed readjusted his hold on the plate and reached for some rice. "I'm not drooling." He sniffed rebelliously as he plopped the pile of rice onto his plate and continued on down the table.

Winry smiled at his back and turned back to the table; she was famished. They had arrived a little over two hours previously and had been dancing and laughing ever since. It was the most fun she remembered having for quite awhile—and that included the lake party as well.

Although they had lost Al and Nelly about half an hour ago, she was sure they would return for the food eventually.

She placed her plate on the table carefully before sliding into the seat next to Ed. She never knew that Risembool could pull together and create such a sophisticated setting.

The entire dinner and dance event was being held in a large field on the outskirts of Nelly's property. A very long table dressed with a blinding white cloth was placed in the middle of the field and was decorated with numerous dishes, bowls and platters of food and drink. Two-seater and Four-seater tables were littered around the widest sides of the table and a cleared area set up for dancing was placed on the opposite sides of the table.

Strings of light decorated the surrounding trees, shrubs and buildings which brought on a sense of romance and warmth.

Under one particularly illuminated tree, sat Winry and Ed; both digging into their plates feverishly.

Al watched, amused. His brother had been so reluctant to come, and now look how much fun he was having over there. A warm smile spread over his face as he thought of how much his brother deserved moments like these.

"KYAA!" The squeal of delight pulled Al's attention away from his friends. "Al! Come taste this cake!"

A loud squeal to the right caught Ed's attention. He grinned devilishly and waved his hand over his head. "Hey Al! Come over here!"

The group of four reunited and began a lengthy session of shared food and stories as laughter and smiles went around the table generously.

Winry was in the middle of a hearty laugh when a warm hand grasped her own in rough, calloused fingers. She jumped slightly but then turned her smile to the owner of the hand. He grinned back nervously, a slight flush reaching his cheeks as he used his other hand to pick up his cup and sip from it.

Squeezing the soft hand within his own for the briefest of moments, Ed let go and continued his meal. It didn't faze Winry though; she knew it had feeling in it.

The conversations continued and the moment of affection passed with dirty jokes and a brief quarrel between the two brothers.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

"Winry"

The blonde lifted her head up from the table and blinked her slightly bleary eyes. "Hmm?"

Ed smirked slightly and leaned onto the table as well. "Were Al and I really arguing that long?"

"Huh?" Realization dawned on her as she lifted her sleep-heavy hand to her face. "Oh! No, I'm sorry. I was just a little tired from all the food and dancing."

Relief seemed to wash over Ed's features for a moment, but passed just as quickly. "No more dancing? Tch, too bad."

Winry glared at him and clenched her jaw. How stupid did he think she was? With a determined huff, she grabbed the golden-haired male's hand and heaved him out of his chair. He blinked at her in surprise and she pointed angrily to the dance floor. "You. Me. Dance. Now."

A small laugh, which could have been mistaken as a soft escape of air, pushed itself out of Ed's mouth and Winry pushed him out of his stationary position. "Alright, alright!" Satisfied that she was finished attacking his back, Ed continued. "You're so bossy. It's a wonder Auntie can put up with you for so long."

He stood dazed as his head throbbed from the blow he had just received. Where the hell did she hide that metal thing all the time?!

Winry replaced the wrench into its hiding place and smiled sweetly at him. "It's more of a wonder as to how **I** put up with **you**." Linking her arm with his, she continued to lead him to the crowd of dancers.

"You expect me to dance after nearly suffering a concussion." Ed muttered moodily as he rubbed his head and marched grumpily beside her.

"Of course." And with that said, they spun onto the dance floor; all arguments and physical abusive forgotten.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

Sugar could have dripped off of the sweet smile Winry presented herself in the mirror as she readjusted the clip in her hair.

"You almost look evil when you do that." Nelly joked as she reapplied her lip-gloss.

Mocking surprise, Winry turned to her. "Really? I thought I looked stunningly sweet."

"To a homunculus, maybe." Winry stuck her tongue out at Al as he readjusted his grip on Nelly's purse. "Are you enjoying the night Winry?"

She nodded enthusiastically and brushed her bangs from her eyes. "Yup! And the food was amazing, wasn't it?" Nelly responded with a nod and Al's eyes seemed to glaze over in remembrance.

"Where's Brother?" Al quipped as Nelly took her purse back and replaced her lip-gloss.

"He said he had to go get something." Winry muttered absently as she dug into her own purse for lip-gloss. "Oh shoot. I think I left it at home. Nelly, can I borrow your lipgloss?"

"I just put it away." She whined, but retrieved it with a smile nonetheless. Casting a quick glance at Al, she plastered a smile on her face. "Al, can you leave me and Winry alone for a little bit?"

Once al had disappeared into the crowd, Winry turned to Nelly expectantly. When she didn't say anything, she quirked an eyebrow in surprise and turned back to the mirror.

"Hey Winry…" Nelly began, suspicion laced into her voice. Winry looked away from the mirror again and re-capped the lip-gloss. "Do you think Ed left to get…" She trailed off mysteriously and circled around the mechanic.

Winry felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise with anticipation as Nelly came around behind her and took back the lip-gloss before returning to Winry's side.

"…a ring?"

"A ring?" Winry repeated; dumfounded.

Nelly nodded triumphantly, obviously feeling as though she had solved a great mystery. "A ring."

"A ring?" Winry repeated again, becoming more confused.

With a frustrated sigh, Nelly tapped the lip-gloss container against Winry's nose. "Yes, a ring! An engagement ring! For when he declares his undying love for you!"

Winry gaped at the cheery girl in front of her. "E-E-E-Engagement ring?!"

"Mmhmm! It's so obvious!" She continued on with details, but Winry stopped listening.

Could Ed really be off to get a ring? Would he really say it? Would he really mean it?

A deep flush rose to her cheeks at the thought.

Could he really love her enough to want to marry her? Her? His childhood friend? A rough mechanic? A violent girl?

As though reading her thoughts, Nelly placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "Yup. Edward Elric and-"

"Winry."

Winry looked up in surprise at her name and was met with two golden orbs alight with something she couldn't quite lay her finger on.

Her breath caught in her throat as Nelly nudged her towards him.

"Winry, come with me." Ed held a hand out to her, beckoning her to follow him.

She did everything she could think of to stop herself from shouting out or giggling madly in excitement. This was it, it was now or never! This must be the time that he was going to tell her!

She looked over her shoulder at Nelly nervously and received a large, encouraging smile.

Placing her hand within his own, Winry allowed herself to be lead off by him.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

When Nelly returned to him, Al blinked in surprise at the tears that shone in her eyes.

"Nelly?"

She looked up at him, tears and mascara streaming down her face, before launching herself into his chest and sobbing wildly.

"Nelly! What is it?"

She continued sobbing and buried her face deeper into his chest before pulling back far enough to gasp a single sentence.

Al froze, eyes widening in. Coming back to his sense, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose into her hair. "It'll be okay." He whispered reassuringly, smiling softly as a single tear slipped from his own eye.

They sat under a tree a little ways away from the party. She was still clutching to him desperately, but her tears had long ago subsided. They sat immersed in their own thoughts as she played with his hand absently.

Her words from before rang through his, blocking out the sounds of the nearby party music.

"He's going to do it."

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: Finally! I've had the 18th and 20th chapter finished since late August, but finally I've completed the 19th chapter! Whoopee!**

**By the way; the final chapter will be incredibly short. Sort of like a drabble.**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


	20. Autumn: Seasons

**Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.**

Seasons

Autumn: Seasons 

Chapter 20

By: RomanceFanFicLover

"Winry, come with me." Ed held a hand out to her, beckoning her to follow him.

She did everything she could think of to stop herself from shouting out or giggling madly in excitement. This was it, it was now or never! This must be the time that he was going to tell her!

They finally stopped in the clearing they had been in the night of the Lake Party. Winry held her breath unconsciously; she partially expected the entire scene to rip apart if she made too much noise, even by breathing.

Fireflies were in the clearing again, but there were more this time and they seemed to glow brighter in the late autumn night.

"It's beautiful." Winry breathed in awe of the sight, and of the memory that invaded her mind.

"Hey Win; I have to tell you something really important." Ed put his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath.

Winry smiled in anticipation and crossed her fingers behind her back. What if Nelly was right? What if Ed really was going to propose!

"Win…I…"

'_Say it! Say it!'_ Winry encouraged him in her head, hoping against all hope that he would quit the suspenseful act and just tell her!

"I'm leaving."

What? Leaving? That was **not** the "L" word that Winry was expecting. The beautiful picture that the scene before her presented previously was now shattered in its frame.

"What?"

"I got in touch with Roy the other day and he said that I wouldn't need to retake the state alchemist exam. H-He said that I could come out of retirement and be funded to do more research." Ed scuffed the ground with his boot nervously. Winry certainly didn't look pleased. In fact, she looked like she had just seen death itself.

"_Why_?" she tried not to sound too needy. Really, she did! But it was just so hard when the love of your life decided that you weren't worth it and they'd rather skip around the country with the military.

"All the people I saw who misused alchemy, who used it to hurt people, I don't want that to happen anymore. I thought about it, and I asked Al. He didn't want me to go and refused to go with me, told me he was going to stay and marry Nelly." Ed chuckled lightly and bowed his head, letting his bangs cover his eyes. "Anyways, I want to go and see if we can use alchemy for the 'science' people talked about in the other world. It could be useful, even help with your automail mechanics."

Confidence and bravery were restored in Winry. He wasn't abandoning her! He was doing this to right his wrongs, to repent his sins. But he didn't make any! He's done more than enough! Why couldn't he just stay with her?

"I won't let you go." Winry's eyes widened; she hadn't realized she had said it.

"Winry, I-"

"I love you, Ed!" Although it was a declaration it sounded more like a threat. "Don't leave me."

The whispered plead almost broke down Ed's defenses. But no, he must stay strong no matter what she does.

They stood in silence for a few moments before Winry flung herself into his arms, crying her heart out. "Please don't…_Please_, Ed…!"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ed held her tight against him. Burying his nose into her hair, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Winry sobbed harder into his chest, grabbing at the material of his shirt while her pleas floated into the night air.

This wasn't the same as the first time they came here. The first time, they had embraced with love, with hope. But now…Now there was no love. There was no nope. There was no Ed and therefore there was no reason.

The only thing Winry had now was the memories of the seasons they had spent together.

**..+..------------------------------..+..**

**A/N: The End folks!**

**Xoxoxoxo!**


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